A crash between two off-road bikes that claimed the life of a nine-year-old boy in Ballymena likely happened because the two riders - both children - didn't see each other, an inquest has been told.
Charlie Joyce was taken in the NI Air Ambulance to hospital in June 2022 but sadly died of his injuries, just hours after the collision at a public green next to a playpark in the Dunvale estate in Ballymena.
An inquest into the tragedy opened at Laganside Court in Belfast on Friday morning, where officers from the PSNI's collision investigation unit said there is "no doubt" the use of off-road bikes by children in public areas poses a "massive" safety issue.
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An interview with a young child who witnessed the collision was read out by the Coroner Anne-Louise Toal. During the police interview, the child had told officers: "I just looked and seen them going straight into each other."
The witness said Charlie Joyce was riding on a "wee bike" while another boy was riding on a "big bike" when the pair crashed into one another.
After hearing evidence from an expert forensic investigator, Coroner Anne-Louise Toal said that on the "balance of probability" the collision likely occurred because the two boys didn't see one another due to the "topography" of the area - with one bike travelling up a hill, and the other travelling along a flat area at the top of the hill.
The Coroner also read an autopsy report describing horrific injuries suffered by the nine-year-old Charlie Joyce, including an "open wound" to his throat, a collapsed lung, multiple fractured bones, and serious head injuries.
Charlie was found "unresponsive" on the grass and taken to the Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children and admitted to intensive care. He underwent surgery and was given multiple transfusions, the autopsy report said, but his condition continued to deteriorate and he sadly passed away in the early hours of June 17, 2022.
Coroner Toal also read the transcript of an interview conducted by police with the other young boy involved in the collision, who said he didn't remember anything from the crash. The boy said his first memory afterwards was "waking up in hospital". The boy told police he suffered multiple broken bones, had to have a skin graft, and had been placed in a coma for "around two days".
The boy said he had been given his scrambler bike as a Christmas present in 2021 and "didn't know" he wasn't supposed to ride the vehicle in a public park, and was unaware of licensing, insurance or other requirements.
Coroner Toal also invited PSNI officers from the Collision Investigation Unit, who were giving evidence at the inquest, to comment on broader safety concerns surrounding the use of off-road bikes by children.
"It appears to be a growing trend for these sorts of scramblers, perhaps, to be bought for children and young teens," she said. "It certainly seems to be, from the neighbour's evidence, it appears to be a problem that there is a lot of these motorbikes.
She says it is a daily occurrence that she can hear the noises, and indeed there has been a previous injury that she believed [had been] caused by one of these. Would you say that there is a public safety issue in relation to such bikes being ridden in the area? Obviously we can see the tragic consequences in the case where young Charlie's lost his life. Would you say it's a public safety issue in relation to these sort of bikes being used in public areas?"
The officer, responding, said: "I would say, certainly, in an area such as the collision site which is not designed for that use. I have no problem with them being used professionally."
The officer said inexperienced children using the vehicles in areas that have not been designed for their use would "certainly" place "themselves or other members of the public in danger."
Another officer, a Sergeant from the PSNI's Collision Investigation Unit, was also asked by the Coroner during the inquest hearing if there is a "public safety issue in young children, minors, people under 18 riding these vehicles in public parks and public areas".
The officer said: "There's absolutely no doubt that the illegal use of these off road vehicles is a massive problem. It's province wide. PSNI do have a difficulty trying to police that for many reasons. There have been several juvenile deaths in the last few years in relation to these vehicles."
She added: "It is illegal for those vehicles to be driven on any public area, public road, public footpath, unless they are treated like a normal motor vehicle. They would need to be insured, MOTd, registered and the driver would need to be in possession of a driving licence as well."
Closing the inquest, the Coroner said: "It's clear from this inquest that there are very, very tragic consequences that can arise from riding such motorcycles in, number one, areas that are not designed for them, and especially without supervision. Also it's clear that this is a growing public safety concern.
"These are very powerful machines and I would urge any parents who have either bought their children, or indeed teenagers, these motorcycles or are intending to buy or have thought about buying, to familiarise themselves with - number one the legalities, and number two the dangers."
She added: "As we can see Charlie was only nine years old and his life has been tragically cut short by the results of the collision. I understand there are PSNI leaflets available around the legalities of both driving scrambler machines and motorcycles of this sort, including off-road scramblers. I certainly would urge all parents to familiarise themselves with those documents."
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