Footballer, 17, was killed 'almost instantly' after he was electrocuted while ... trends now
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A 'talented' young footballer was killed 'almost instantly' after he was electrocuted while playing with friends, an inquest heard.
Luke Bennett was struck by 11,000 volts when a metal pole he was holding above his head touched, or make close contact to, an overhead power line as he played at Euxton Villa FC in Chorley.
The 17-year-old's father sobbed at an inquest into his son's death as he recalled dropping him off as usual that day.
He described him as the 'life and soul of the party' with an 'infectious personality'. The inquest, held at County Hall in Preston, heard how on that fateful Saturday afternoon in March 2021, Luke had met with seven of his friends who spent most of the day having a kickabout.
At around 6pm three of the boys - Luke, Lewis Geszke and Ben Wilcock - began 'messing about' with a metal pole used to separate the subs bench from the pitch. As they tried to straighten the pole a huge current surged through the metal and threw all three teenagers to the ground.
Luke, an AFC Fylde youth footballer from Chorley, initially stood up after the shock but his horrified friends watched on as he then collapsed to the ground. Lewis and Ben were unconscious for a short period before waking up to see CPR being performed on Luke.
Despite the best efforts of paramedics and a doctor, Luke's heart had 'completely stopped' and he
