A LANCASTER teenager who died in a road traffic accident in the early hours of the morning had sneaked out of his bedroom for a late-night liaison with his girlfriend, an inquest has heard.

The parents of David Wilkinson, 16, of Ryelands Road, believed he was asleep in bed on July 21 but he had climbed out of his bedroom window and set off on his bike to visit his new girlfriend.

They were shocked when a police officer called to tell them David had been involved in a serious accident.

The youngster was seriously injured after colliding with a taxi on Owen Road at 3.40am on July 22. He had recently left Skerton High School and was looking forward to a career in the army.

He sustained severe head injuries and was taken to the Royal Lancaster Infirmary before being transferred to a special unit in Preston. He died two days later on July 24.

The inquest heard how taxi driver Neil Porter had dropped off a fare in Beaumont and had plenty of time before his next pick up. He told the inquest at Lancaster Magistrates that he was driving along Owen Road when a lad on a bike 'appeared from nowhere'.

Mr Porter's described how his view was obscured by the school wall but the cyclist was "flying" and looked like he was "pulling a wheelie."

The first policeman to arrive at the scene described how he found a young male lying in the road and a silver, Mondeo taxi with damage to the windscreen and roof.

Accident investigator, John Sutcliffe, estimated that the taxi had been travelling at around 32mph when it collided with David Wilkinson.

Mr Sutcliffe said: "The evidence suggests that the cyclist had come out of an alleyway. It appears that when he left the kerb the front wheel of the cycle was higher than the rear wheel which would account for a lack of damage to the front of the taxi but extensive damage to the windscreen and roof."

One bizarre feature of the accident, which was mentioned at the inquest, was that David Wilkinson's shoes were found on the other side of a nearby wall. The accident investigator said it was impossible for the shoes to have been there as a result of the accident.

Coroner George Howson said: "David was thought to be home in bed but at some stage during the night he left by the window and visited his girlfriend. It was possible that he was pulling a wheelie at the very moment Mr Porter was passing in his taxi. A collision took place and David died as a result of his serious injuries."

He added: "It's a very, very sad accident. The only verdict can be one of misadventure."