A STUDENT party to celebrate the end of exams ended in tragedy after a teenager was killed as he made his way home, an inquest heard yesterday.

Duncan Pimm, aged 16, was killed after being struck by a car driven by another partygoer on July 9 last year in Bishops Wood Lane, Crossway Green.

An inquest at Stourport-on-Severn heard that Henry Doe, of Four Winds, Stourport, had organised a party for his son Frazer and his friends to celebrate the end of their GCSE exams.

He said he had invited the teenagers to bring a tent with them so they could camp out in an adjoining field if they wished to stay over.

But the court heard that although Duncan had intended to stay at his friend's house, he had left early after falling out with his girlfriend.

Before leaving the party, Duncan, of Osborne Close, Kidderminster, been working that day at his local Argos store and told friends he was tired.

Worcestershire's deputy coroner, Tim Sherwood, heard that 20-year-old Matthew Hawks was making his way back to the same party after dropping some friends off at the nearby Mitre Oak pub.

In a statement, Mr Hawks, who lives in Kidderminster, said he was driving his Peugeot 205 along Bishops Wood Lane at around 11.15pm when he rounded a bend and saw Duncan on the side of the road.

"I just panicked," said Mr Hawks, who works in the burger bar at West Midlands Safari Park. "It all happened so fast. I hit the brakes, the wheels locked and the car skidded and went over Duncan and carried on into a field."

Police told the inquest that Mr Hawks, who had two friends in the car with him at the time of the accident, was travelling "at least" 47mph on a road with a 60mph speed limit.

A post-mortem examination showed Duncan had died from shock and haemorrhage caused by multiple injuries.

Tests revealed that although he had consumed some alcohol, he had not been drinking excessively.

Accidental death

In recording a verdict of accidental death, coroner Mr Sherwood said it was a tragic case.

"While Duncan was walking home, he decided to lie down on a grass verge.

"As Matthew Hawks rounded a bend, he was suddenly confronted by the person he saw lying down and everything clearly happened in a split second.

"He took the decision to slam on the brakes and I have heard evidence from analysis of reaction times that he wouldn't be able to stop in time."

After the inquest, Mr Doe said: "It's tragic that leaving school will remain a time in all their lives that they will remember for a very different reason."