Killed on way to Facebook party: Boy, 16, died in hit-and-run tragedy - Mirror.co.uk

A man was arrested yesterday after a teenager died in a hit-and-run on his way to a Facebook party.

Callum Hilton, 16, was thrown 20 feet across the road by a silver Peugeot 206 which kept going as he lay dying.

His family were with him in hospital when he died from a serious head injury and police made the arrest 30 minutes after appeals to the driver to hand himself in.

Callum's mum Tricia said: "I'm not going to wake up from a nightmare, my son on the news, hit and run… it shouldn't be happening but now it's all becoming too real."

Callum was heading to the party on Saturday night, organised via social network site Facebook, with three pals, all from the Middleton area of Manchester.

The teenagers were crossing the road to a hotel to ask for directions.

Speaking earlier at the scene in Bury, Detective Inspector Amber Waywell said: "He was left by the roadside and the driver has driven off. His family is concerned it's somebody who isn't bothered, but there's a good chance the driver just panicked."

Grief: Friends of Callum at the spot where he was knocked down and killed in a hit-and-run

 

Scene: The road in Bury

Last night, Callum's devastated friends paid tribute on social networking sites Twitter and Facebook.

Beth Loftus tweeted: "RIP Callum Hilton, nobody deserves to go at such a young age. Stay strong for us up there, yeah?"

Daniella Jade added: "Rest in peace Callum Hilton, gone but not forgotten." A tribute site on Facebook has attracted hundreds of members.

A man who lives nearby told how a nurse and passerby battled to save Callum.

He said: "The lad was in a very, very bad way. The frustration of standing there as two people tried to save a young kid's life was heartbreaking."

He added cars were "always" speeding there, despite signs warning drivers of the 30mph speed limit.

He claimed: "Within this stretch of 200 yards there have been three accidents in a week."

Callum's grandad Graham said last night: "We're absolutely devastated at the tragic loss of Callum, our beloved son, brother and grandson. We ask that we be allowed to grieve at this sad time, but thank all his friends for their kind words and support."

A police spokesman said: "A man was arrested in the Radcliffe area of Bury on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving. He remains in custody for questioning."