An "outgoing" teenager died after accidentally falling off a bridge on his way home from a night out, an inquest heard.
Ryan Swales, 18, was heading home to Widnes from Chambers bar in Runcorn alongside his friend Leah Holloran in the early hours of Sunday, August 15, Warrington Coroner's Court heard. However, the pair soon became separated by which point it is believed Ryan slipped while walking along the ledge on the outside of some railings.
While the shopworker was rushed to Aintree University Hospital by ambulance, he shortly died from his injuries. It was revealed by a post-mortem examination that Ryan had died from a "severe head injury" which was "consistent with Ryan having fallen from a height".
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It was also discovered that "modest quantities" of alcohol and cocaine as well as "small amounts" of paracetamol and ketamine were in Ryan's systems, according to toxicology tests by Kirsty Watson. However, the ketamine in Ryan's body could have been from the treatment he received in hospital while the amount of alcohol was around one-and-a-half times the drink-drive limit, the Liverpool Echo reports.
Ryan's father, Richard Swales, said in a statement that his son did not suffer from any medical issues and was in his typical "good spirits" when they last spoke on August 13. The pair even planned a trip to Ireland together while Ryan had also been recently promoted and was waiting on a new car.
His family has described him as having a happy personality while being "outgoing and always willing to help anyone". Callum Dow said in a witness statement that he left the same bar at 5am and ran into Leah.
Callum recalled that Leah seemed "shocked or panicked" because there "had been an accident by the bridge" and "something had happened to Ryan". Upon hearing this, the pair rushed to the scene together where they encountered Ryan who was still alive at the time but not talking.
Following this Leah quickly called an ambulance. Shortly before the time of the incident, two other friends had briefly run into Ryan and Leah while walking back from Widnes to Runcorn. The friends recalled that Ryan appeared "happy" but "wasn't walking straight and looked intoxicated".
Around 20 seconds later, they said they heard a "bang" or a "thud" but thought nothing of it at the time because "you sometimes hear loud bangs in the old town". Another woman, who was walking home with her husband and friends, said she later saw a social media post about the incident, which triggered a "flashback" of having seen a man fitting Ryan's description "leaning over" or "slouched" over the side of the bridge.
A statement from resident Adam Watson was also heard where he recalled hearing a "couple arguing on the flyover" after being woken up by his mum in the early hours of the morning. He said he heard a male voice "shouting at the female to hurry up".
Mr Watson also recalled that he could see a woman "walking behind him" but she caught up and he "held her hand and they walked off towards the bridge". Leah Holloran provided evidence in person and said she and Ryan had met in Wetherspoon. She claimed that Ryan was his "normal self" and was "cheerful" and in "good spirits", showing no signs or intent to harm himself.
Shortly before 5am, they left Chambers to head home together since they lived near each other in Widnes. The journey was expected to take around 15 minutes with the pair walking together, however, Leah recalled that Ryan was around 10 metres ahead of her.
When asked about the incident, she said: "I remember him being ahead and (inaudible). “I don’t remember shouting get down or anything. I just seen him one minute and then…”
After being asked if Ryan had climbed over anything, she said: "There was quite a high railing." Mr Westerman also asked if the fall resulted from a jump or a slip, to which she replied: "I couldn't see. I’d imagine it was a slip.”. When she saw him below the drop, she went to get help and called an ambulance."
Summarising the police investigation conclusions, Detective Sergeant Newman told the hearing: “There’s no evidence of third party involvement, foul play or suspicious circumstances.” It was concluded by Mr Westermand that Ryan died due to "unsurvivable head injuries he suffered when he fell from a bridge onto Station Road".
He added that there was "no evidence of any intention to self-harm", recording the cause of death as "accidental". Mr Westerman said: “I’m satisfied that Ryan was living the life and doing extremely well and there’s no evidence whatsoever that he complained, thought about or entertained ending his own life - there’s no evidence of any intent to self-harm - and the incident on the bridge was an accident.
"In doing that I accept the evidence and the police evidence given to me and of Leah that there was nobody else involved in that incident on the bridge, and sadly he passed away as a result of falling from the bridge when it was never intended that he fell from it.”
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