A TEENAGER died from serious injuries after being thrown from his moped on the A417, an inquest heard.

Thomas Gibbons, 17, an apprentice vehicle mechanic, was on his way to work on the morning of Tuesday, February 28, when he clipped the grass verge approaching a layby near Shellingford.

At an inquest at Oxford Coroner’s Court on Wednesday, witness statements recounted seeing Mr Gibbons’ bike drifting slowly towards the bank before making contact.

Van driver Ralph Gregory said: “The rider flew off the moped and flew through the air, rolling along the grass bank.”

During the impact his helmet became detached. He was supported by members of the public before South Central Ambulance Service arrived at 8.56am.

Mr Gibbons, of Nursery End, Stanford in the Vale, suffered a brain injury and was taken to the John Radcliffe Hospital’s intensive care unit and initially stabilised, but his condition worsened and he was pronounced dead at 10.51pm.

Assistant coroner Rosamund Rhodes-Kemp told family members: “I would like to extend my deepest sympathies to those that knew Tom, a young man who still had a lot of life left to live.”

Collision investigators found no faults with the moped or the road, while a small quantity of cannabis Tom had taken the night before was not considered a contributing factor. A verdict of death by road traffic collision was recorded.