A TEENAGER has died after plunging 20 feet in a tragic accident

Gareth Oliver,16, died in North Manchester General Hospital on Monday following the fall on Saturday night.

The Radcliffe High School pupil, who was "over the moon" after learning he had passed four GCSEs last week, fell from railings over the subway on the Asda side of Pilkington Way.

"I still can't believe what has happened; it all feels like a dream," said his heartbroken mother, Mrs Gwen Partington (41) of Coomassie Street, Radcliffe.

"I last saw him at 8.30pm on Saturday. He was going out to meet his friends, but before going he brought me a video to watch. His last words to me were 'Don't eat all my bananas, I'll see you later'."

Shortly afterwards one of his friends ran to the house to tell Mrs Partington that Gareth had fallen head first from the railings onto the concrete below.

"I just ran down to the subway as quickly as I could. He was lying unconscious on the ground in the rain, bleeding," said Mrs Partington.

She travelled by ambulance with him to Bury General Hospital where he was given a head X-ray. He was then transferred to North Manchester General Hospital for a brain scan and emergency operation to try to drain a blood clot. Gareth died on Monday morning, never having regained consciousness.

"Why did it have to be him? It's still difficult to accept it, and so senseless," said Mrs Partington, who wears Gareth's jacket to be close to her son. "I've cried so much I don't think I have any tears left.

"I'm not blaming anyone. It was a tragic accident and all his friends are devastated, but I just hope the railings are made higher. I'd hate anyone else to go through what I've experienced."

Gareth, whose father, Mr Michael Oliver, lives in Chapelfield, was a budding musician and also trained in kickboxing at Coney Green Sports Centre. His cousin is the Bury boxer Dave Clavering.

"He had lots of friends and was a happy lad. Even though he wasn't that keen on school he was over the moon when he passed his four GCSEs," said his mother.

"Everything was just starting for him, but now he's gone. He was working weekends at a fruit shop in Bury and was hoping to go full-time. He had also been invited to visit a friend in Canada in September and had just sent off for a passport."

Mrs Partington said she had agreed to donate all Gareth's internal organs for transplant surgery.

"It's what he would have wanted and it means he'll be running around somewhere inside someone else."

Gareth, who had a 19-year-old sister, Joanne, and two brothers, Brett (23) and James (8), lived in Bury before moving to Radcliffe and was a pupil at Holy Trinity CE Primary School.

An inquest was opened on Wednesday and adjourned.

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