AFC Fylde teenager killed by electrocution while playing football with friends

An AFC Fylde academy player was killed by electrocution while playing football with his friends in Chorley, an inquest has heard.

17-year-old Luke Bennett was struck by 11,000 volts when a metal pole he was holding above his head either made contact with or neared a power line.

Bennett stood up after the shock, which sent himself and two of his friends to the ground at around 6pm on March 6 2021, but other friends at the gathering watched on as he collapsed again and died at the scene.

The tragedy took place at Euxton Villas FC near Chorley.

Bennett's father, Thomas, cried at the inquest as he recalled dropping his son off to play football with his friends as he usually would.

He described his son as "the life and soul of the party" with "an infectious personality".

AFC Fylde vs Aldershot town, Alamy

The inquest heard that Luke, alongside Lewis Geszke and Ben Wilcock, began "messing about" with a metal pole used to separate the subs' bench from the pitch at Euxton Vilas.

As they tried to straighten the pole, the current hit the metal and cost Bennett his life.

Lewis and Ben survived, but were unconscious for a while and woke up to CPR being performed on their friend, who died at around 6:48pm. They were warned not to touch Bennett due to the power of the voltage.

Bennett had spent time at the academies of Blackburn, Burnley and Preston before joining Fylde.

His father, an ex professional at Wolves, described how Luke had started getting into football when he was 13 and excelled at other sports such as tennis, trampolining and swimming.

Fylde posted a statement after Luke's death two years ago. It included: "On this extremely difficult day, our thoughts are with Luke Bennett's family and friends. AFC Fylde Academy players and staff would like to pay tribute to the king-hearted young man that he was and take a moment to celebrate Luke."

The post gave a lengthy heartwarming tribute to the winger before ending with: "Our hearts are still aching by Luke's sudden and untimely passing, but it is important that we look beyond that to remember the amazing persona that he was. Let's all take time to think of Luke and his loved ones today."