Coroner delivers findings over 15-year-old girl's death in crash near Telford town centre
A teenage girl died after being hit by a car near Telford town centre, a coroner has concluded.
An inquest into the death of Daniele Vaitkeviciute, 15, took place at Shropshire Coroner's Court in Shrewsbury on Wednesday.
John Ellery, senior coroner for Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin, was told that Daniele attended Telford Park School and lived in care at a home in Staffordshire.
Mr Ellery said that Daniele was hit by a car on the B5072 between Telford town centre and Lawley shortly after 5pm on January 30.
She suffered blunt trauma injuries to her head and was taken to Birmingham Children's Hospital for treatment, but died later that day.
Mr Ellery said: "Daniele was crossing a road between two roundabouts and she was in collision with a motor vehicle. The driver was travelling towards Telford town centre and coming the other way were various other vehicles.
"Daniele as a pedestrian has crossed the road crossing through the traffic coming from Telford town centre and has then been in collision with the car.
"I should say at this stage I have seen no evidence at all that the driver could have avoided the collision. He would have had little or no chance to see Daniele crossing, what would have been from him to his right."
Mr Ellery added that the part of the road where Daniele was crossing was not a crossing point.
During the inquest the coroner took time to consider whether Daniele had deliberately run into the road, having heard evidence that she left school with another person at around 3pm that day, with the intention of killing themselves by taking painkillers.
Mr Ellery said the other person had "fallen ill" then "effectively realised it was a bad decision" and went and sought help.
He added that Daniele had not taken enough for it to be fatal but "it must have had some effect on her".
The coroner said that the pair parted ways at Asda in the town centre and Daniele had made her way towards the area where the collision took place – but had said nothing about her intentions, only "she simply did not want to go home".
Mr Ellery said: "There is no evidence at all that Daniele wanted to kill herself by crossing a road in front of a car."
He added: "Yes, there is reason to suspect at some point Daniele stated she wanted to kill herself by an overdose but that clearly didn't happen and there is no evidence she then continued, to kill herself by crossing in front of a car."
Mr Ellery read excerpts from a statement given by the driver of the car which hit Daniele, who explained he had not seen her before she appeared in front of his car.
He said he was travelling at 25mph and believed it had been her fault.
He said: "In my head she walked out into my car, that's how I picture it."
He added: "I had never seen a pedestrian cross that road like that at that point before."
But a driver coming the opposite way said it appeared as though Daniele had "walked into oncoming traffic as a mistake".
Mr Ellery said: "That just adds weight to the conclusion that Daniele did not kill herself deliberately by walking out in front of it."
The coroner recorded a conclusion of death by road traffic accident.
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