A teenager died after his wheelchair fell on him in a fast food restaurant during a school trip.

Aaron Ridley, 15, who suffered from brittle bone disease, was on a school trip when his battery-powered wheelchair landed on him after falling down a step at the Burger King restaurant, leaving him with multiple fractures.

Yesterday, an inquest jury took less than 20 minutes to return a unanimous verdict of accidental death.

Aaron, of Robin Close, East Grinstead, was taken to Eastbourne District General Hospital and found to have breaks in his right arm and left leg following the accident at Boship, near Hailsham.

After two days his health deteriorated and he was transferred to Guy's Hospital, London, where he died eight days later.

Pathologist Dr Christopher Moffat said the teenager had died after fat stored inside the bone had escaped into the blood stream and lungs and led to multiple organ failure.

Dr Moffat said: "It appears Aaron had a severe form of the condition osteogenesis imperfecta, or brittle bone disease.

"He had more than 200 fractures in his life and he had such weak and brittle bones they would fracture under minimum trauma."

Manchester United fan Aaron, who had three sisters, attended Valence School, Westerham, Kent, for children with physical disabilities.

A party of nine students and five staff had planned to visit Arlington Stadium, near Hailsham, to watch car racing.

Aaron's mother, Julie Edwards, said: "He used to come home at the weekends and holidays and we phoned every day. He was a sociable boy and liked going out with his friends.

"He would never go down a step without somebody holding on to him."

After the inquest Aaron's stepfather Jerry Nixon, 37, said: "He was a great little artist and cartoonist. We always watched out for him and he watched out for himself."