The family of a schoolboy who tragically died after being involved in a crash with a bus have paid tribute to their "beautiful boy with an infectious smile".
Mason French was riding his bicycle on Lizard Lane in Whitburn last year when he was hit by a bus after cycling out of a concealed junction that had reduced visibility due to a stone wall and parked cars. Despite the bus driver acting in a "timely manner", 11-year-old Mason sustained fatal injuries in the collision.
On Thursday, an inquest held at Sunderland Coroner's Court concluded Mason died as a result of a road traffic collision, with a post-mortem finding his medical cause of death was a blunt head injury. Following the inquest, Mason's family and parents, Kay, 31, and Dean French, 28, shared memories of their much-loved boy.
"He was a beautiful boy with an infectious smile", they said, "he was hilarious and so loving. He absolutely loved his bikes and was a total outdoors kid. He loved his sports like jiu-jitsu and boxing and loved going on adventures that involved wild swimming and paddle-boarding."
They added: "He was only young but incredibly family orientated. He absolutely idolised his younger sister, Wren, and was kind-hearted and well-mannered. He was a popular boy and had a lot of close friends who still miss him and even text his mobile still."
Following Mason's death, a GoFundMe page was set up to help the family cover the cost of his funeral and celebrate his short life. The fundraiser managed to raise over £21,130. His family are now planning on planting a cherry blossom tree in his memory and many gathered for a huge firework display to remember him.
Mason's dad, Dean, is also liaising with South Tyneside Council and members of the Whitburn community to try and implement more preventative safety measures in the area where his son died. The inquest heard that the council is already looking towards improvements at the junction with some being made already, with Senior Coroner Derek Winter also planning on writing to the local authority about safety measures that can be made.
Mason, who was a pupil at Whitburn Church of England Academy, was cycling in the Lizard Lane area at around 3.27pm on October 25 last year when he pedalled out of a concealed junction which prevented him and the bus driver from seeing each other. Mason rode directly into the path of the oncoming bus and a collision occurred.
The inquest heard that the bus driver "acted in a timely manner" and that there was a "lack of warning with the junction" and "reduced visibility for both parties". Coroner Derek Winter said the collision was "unavoidable" and that Mason's injuries proved to be fatal. He concluded that Mason's death was the result of a road traffic collision.
Following the conclusion, Dean added: "As a family, we want to say that there is no hostility towards the bus driver. We know he acted in a responsible and timely manner. He passed eyesight tests, drug tests and everything. On behalf of the family we want to thank everybody that has been involved in the process, the community and the charities that we've had help from.
"We want to continue celebrating Mason's legacy by trying to improve the safety in that area. We are on good terms with the council and what we hope to come from this is to be able to prevent further accidents in that area."
