A teenager was killed after his van with a flat tyre smashed into a bridge during a police chase, an inquest has heard.
Thomas Patrick Connor, known as Tull, died at the scene after the silver Vauxhall van ploughed into the railway bridge in Red Bank in Manchester city centre.
An inquest heard that the 19-year-old was being chased by police who mistakenly believed the vehicle had been involved in a burglary.
Tull was the youngest of eight siblings, and had been staying on a traveller site on Dantzic Street, just yards from the scene of the crash, at the time of his death.
His sister, Laura Kelbie, told the hearing at Manchester Coroner's Court that he was employed as a landscape gardener and had been planning to move to Australia.
Ms Kelbie revealed that she had brought up Tull, from Barnsley, South Yorkshire, after he lost both his mother and father as a child.
She described him as a ‘good boy who had never been in trouble with the police’.
“Tull was the baby of the family," she said in a statement read out in court.
"He was showered with love. He was the link that kept the family together.
“Tull loved being the centre of attention.
“He was always laughing and would make a joke out of everything and anything.”
In the hours prior to his death on April 6, 2020, Tull and his friend Thomas Price had visited Steven Charles Snooker Centre in Cheetham Hill Road.
The inquest heard that the pair had been drinking beer, although a member of staff said Tull seemed ‘normal' and did not appear to be drunk.
After leaving the venue, Tull and Mr Price visited a Co-op store in the Green Quarter at about 10.45pm where they purchased more beer.
Despite not holding a licence and being banned from driving, Mr Price then drove the van towards the Strangeways area.
As the car travelled along Broughton Road, it began being pursued by police officers, who mistakenly believed it was involved in a burglary in the area.
PC James Forshaw told the inquest that he attempted to stop the vehicle, but it sped away in the direction of Waterloo Road.
The chase continued in the direction of Salford before police lost track of the van in Broughton Lane.
However, the van had suffered a burst tyre after hitting a kerb during the chase, the inquest heard.
Despite this, Tull switched places with Mr Price and drove back in the direction they had come from.
But as the van waited at a set of traffic lights at the junction of Broughton Lane and Bury New Road, it was spotted by PC Forshaw.
As Tull sped off along Waterloo Road and on to Derby Street, the police car followed.
Footage was played to the court which appeared to show sparks flying from the van during the chase.
By the time the van crossed Cheetham Hill Road and continued along Derby Street, its tyre was 'shredded'.
Several witnesses told the inquest they noticed that the vehicle was being driven on the rim of its wheel.
However, PC Forshaw told the hearing that he did not believe there were any issues with the handling of the vehicle.
"The driver was continuing driving and I was happy to continue," he added.
Joseph Rose said he was driving home from a restaurant when the van 'shot past him' on the wrong side of the road.
"It sounded like it was struggling," he said.
"Black smoke was coming from the exhaust and it sounded out of control."
PC Forshaw told the inquest he 'lost sight' of the vehicle when it turned onto Red Bank, but then noticed debris in the road.
The inquest also heard from a woman, who saw the van overtake a red car at 'excessive speed' as she was walking along Red Bank to visit her boyfriend.
As the vehicle approached the bridge, she said it 'did not appear to make any attempt to slow down'.
The woman said she then saw the van mount the pavement before crashing into the bridge 'head on'.
"I knew the driver was dead," she said. "There was no way they could have survived."
Another eyewitness estimated that the van was being driven at about 80mph as it approached the bridge, near to Manchester Victoria station.
Police arrived at the scene seconds later and found Tull unconscious inside the heavily damaged vehicle.
Emergency services performed CPR on him, but he was pronounced dead at the scene.
Mr Price was arrested nearby after being found hiding inside an industrial bin, having fled following the smash.
Assistant coroner Sally Hatfield QC is presiding over an inquest into Tull's death at Manchester Coroner's Court.
The hearing is likely to last for three days.
The inquest continues.
