The family of 12-year-old Harrison TJ Palmer from Camborne, who died after being hit by a pick-up truck as he crossed the road, have described him as ‘our little whirlwind’.

Harrison was killed instantly when he was hit by an Iveco pick up on the A3047 Agar Road, Pool on March 13 last year, an inquest in Truro heard today.

The accident happened as Harrison crossed the road near to MacSalvors. CCTV showed Harrison and three friends crossing onto the central reservation. They stopped but Harrison didn’t, carrying on into the path of the pick-up. The inquest heard it was possible he may have tripped.

He was hit by the pick-up and died instantly from “devastating” unsurvivable injuries.

In a statement read out in court by the coroner, Harrison’s mum Natalie Buckland told the inquest that her son was always full of energy, running, climbing and constantly keeping them on their toes, calling him their “little whirlwind”.

She said when he was eight he was diagnosed with PDA and found every day things overwhelming which caused him anxiety.

“But he didn’t let these things stop him and he overcame his anxiety every day,” she said. “He had an amazing spirit in primary school and had a close relationship with the staff. At secondary school he had a strong relationship teachers and his peers.” She said they were so proud of him every day.

She said he was a keen footballer who loved being outdoors, and who was 'loud, hilariously funny and quick witted'.

He would play on his PS4, making YouTube videos of him playing games, which he said he would play to his subscribers when he was old enough to have his own channel and become a famous YouTuber.

“He was always laughing and making us laugh,” she said.

Miss Buckland said on the day of the accident Harrison's father had been due to pick him up after football practice at 4pm but she received a phone call from him asking her if she’d heard from Harrison.

He was stuck in traffic because of an accident and could see a water bottle that looked like Harrison’s, even though he should have been at football club. However when they checked the location of Harrison’s phone it was near to MacSalvors.

When Harrison’s dad approached the emergency services they confirmed that his son had died.

It was later confirmed that football practice had been cancelled and, because he wasn’t being picked up until 4pm, Harrison had decided to go to the shops with his friends to get a bottle of Prime.

"He was always so cautious crossing roads, stopping and checking multiple times, not crossing if a vehicle was in sight even in the distance. I guess that makes it harder to comprehend,” she said.

"Our beautiful boy has gone and his death has hugely impacted the lives of everyone who knew and loved him. Every aspect of our lives have been impacted and upturned. Our hearts will always be broken and we are all so very lost without him."

She thanked everybody who had tried to help on the day and for the support from the school.

Eyewitnesses described seeing Harrison with a group of three friends running across the road onto the central reservation but then either Harrison’s momentum or his tripping appeared to keep him going into the path of the van.

The driver told the inquest that he saw the boys and thought they were going to run across the road and thought he was past them when he felt a “thud”. He said he was travelling below the speed limit of 30 at the time.

He pulled over to the side of the road and went back to the scene of the accident and was later arrested and interviewed the next day. Following an investigation all proceedings against him were dropped and there was no prosecution.

A vehicle examiner found, despite a few minor defects, there was nothing wrong with the vehicle that could have contributed to the accident.

Cornwall Coroner Andrew Cox recorded a finding that Harrison died in a road traffic accident in which he suffered unsurvivable “devastating” injuries.