BMX rider had no helmet

Lynne and Rod Ganderton were considering legal action

A BMX rider who died trying to perform a stunt without safety gear on a picnic table, may not have been saved even by wearing a helmet, an inquest has heard.

Shaun Ganderton, 17, from Guildford in Surrey, fell head first on to the ground in June after his bike clipped the table at a skateboard park in Hayling Island.

Witnesses told the hearing in Portsmouth that riders had moved the bench at Beachlands Park to make a more exciting jump.

Coroner James Kenroy recorded a verdict of accidental death and said he would contact the local authority to ensure that benches could not be moved again in this way.

Shaun Ganderton died in a stunt on a picnic table

Pathologist Jennifer Dhundee said that even with a helmet, it was doubtful that Mr Ganderton would have survived because he hit the ground with "extreme force".

She said: "We know that helmets can protect cyclists in some circumstances but there is no 100% guarantee that a helmet would have made any difference."

The hearing was told that Mr Ganderton had already performed the stunt several times when his pedal hit the edge of the bench and he was catapulted forward on to his head.

Legal action

Speaking before the inquest his mother, Lynne, said the family had been considering legal action over his death and safety at the skateboard park.

She said: "Every day is difficult for us. We don't want compensation. It's about Shaun, and no amount of money in the world could save him.

"But if legal action stops this from happening to others then there will be some good from all this."

A spokesman for Havant Borough Council, which runs the park, said safety had been reviewed and they had found nothing which fell outside guidelines laid down for safety at skate parks.