A MOTHER broke down and wept when she visited the scene where her son was killed yesterday.

Karen McCallum paid a five minute visit to the spot where her son Tyrone was thrown from the car he was driving. Wearing dark glasses, she had to be helped into a car as she was overcome by grief.

As the harrowing news that the 18-year-old had died in the accident at Townhill Park, Southampton, began to sink in, many of his close friends gathered at the scene of the accident in disbelief.

Flowers, heartfelt messages and poems to a "special man that touched all our hearts" were left on the roadside in Meggeson Avenue.

The shock of the news was etched on the faces of everyone who went to the spot where Ty, as he was affectionately known, had died the night before.

Some stood quietly in tears and reflected on the loss of their friend, while others tried to work out what had happened by looking at the chilling marks left by scraped car paint on the side of the road.

Close friend Wes Gray, 23, a cladding installer from St Denys, said: "He was the youngest one in our group. He had so much going for him. I only saw him yesterday. I will really miss his cheeky smile. I can't believe he's gone."

Another friend, Brooke Randall, 21, from St Denys, said: "He was one of the nice ones and the sensible one. He was into his music and decks. We started thinking that it could have been any one of us. It's such a waste of life."

At his semi-detached family home in Adelaide Road, St Denys, carloads of mourners flocked to pay their respects - though relatives were too distressed to speak to the Daily Echo.

Tributes were also paid by Tyrone's former teachers. Deputy heads of Bitterne Park Secondary School, Gordon Smith and Graham Wilson, said: "Tyrone was a very popular pupil with both staff and peers. We are all very sad to hear about this tragic accident. Our thoughts are with his family and close friends at this time."

Tyrone was driving a blue Ford Escort when he lost control of the car at the junction of Forest Hills Drive and Meggeson Avenue.

The car hit a lamp post before colliding with three parked cars and ending up on its roof. The force of the impact caused Tyrone to be thrown from the car and he was pronounced dead on arrival at hospital.

Police are keeping an open mind on whether speed played a part in the accident, at 11.05pm on Wednesday.

Another of Tyrone's friends, Billy Collins, 17, of Townhill Park, said: "I think it will make other young people think twice about driving fast down the road. It's not worth it."

Police are continuing to appeal for witnesses, particularly the rider of a motorbike seen travelling directly in front of the Escort moments before the accident. Information to PC Nick McCarthy at Eastleigh Roads Policing Unit on 0845 045 4545.