Tragic Family's Plea to Ulster Drivers
ON April 14 Alan Kelso, was travelling to work on his 125cc motorbike...He didn't make complete his journey.
By Richard Morgan
ON April 14 Alan Kelso, was travelling to work on his 125cc motorbike...
He didn't make complete his journey.
While Alan drove towards his workplace in Crumlin, something went terribly wrong. He came off his bike, slid across the road and collided with a telegraph pole.
His injuries were fatal and he died at the scene despite efforts from members of the public who arrived at the scene shortly after it happened.
He was the 18th person to die on our roads with that total now reaching 73.
Alan was 37 years old. No other cars were involved and his family still don't know what exactly happened that morning.
"I have never felt pain like it when a police liaison officer delivered the blow that Alan is dead," his brother Tommy said.
"Watching my dad's face contort with pain and grief as he also got the same blow then he had to phone my mum and tell her because she was up in Portrush.”
Now, Tommy is backing our Take Care Get There road safety campaign.
He wants all pedestrians, drivers and motorcyclists to be aware of their surroundings and that there are no guarantees when it comes to our roads.
Tommy recalled when he and his family learnt of Alan's death:
"It felt in that moment that our world had fallen apart, that somehow it wasn't real, but it was real,” he said.
“My mum and dad are absolutely devastated over losing their first born.
"My younger Brother Phil, and my wife and I have lost our big brother. My two kids have lost their uncle Alan. He had a kind heart and always loved a good chat with anybody."
Tommy said there will be an empty space this Christmas:
"It is going to be a hard time for us. We are going to stick together as a family but there is definitely going to be a hole where Alan should be.
"It's the time of year you're supposed to be happy and together as a family. From last Christmas to now we didn't think we'd be spending it without Alan, without my brother."
Tommy said he and his family are still trying to cope with Alan's death.
He addressed the rising death toll on Northern Ireland's roads, questioning the factors which could be behind the high number:
"It seems every week there are more and more deaths. It is a huge issue to tackle.
There's drink driving, speeding, mobile phones and more. How do we tackle all of this?"
Tommy is now trying to raise money for road safety charities in his brother's memory to prevent even just one other family going through the loss his is.