Family of late Swindon schoolboy speak out about their grief
Harry Parker died after being knocked down by a car on Akers Way
Last updated 16th Mar 2023
The family of a Swindon schoolboy, who died after being hit by a car, have spoken out about their grief.
Harry Parker was knocked over on Akers Way in Cheney Manor, on Friday 25 November 2022. The 14-year-old was crossing the road at around 8.25am, on the way to Nova Hreod Academy.
His Mum, Kelly, was told about the crash during a phone call with her mother-in-law.
"I just fell to the floor, I couldn't stop screaming.
"I knew that I had to get hold of Adam, but I couldn't speak. I couldn't get those words out, because I didn't want to accept that it was real," she told Greatest Hits Radio.
She soon found the courage to call Adam Parker, Harry's Dad.
The specialist nurse at Great Western Hospital then tried to find Harry at her workplace, thinking that her son had been admitted to its A&E department.
Kelly said she was "hunting and screaming, looking for him everywhere".
However, the severity of Harry's injuries meant he was airlifted to Southmead Hospital in Bristol.
Police blue-lighted the teenager's family from Swindon to Bristol. They waited around 20 to 30 minutes at the Hospital, before seeing Harry as he went for a scan.
Adam said his son's hands and head "were cold".
Shortly afterwards, hospital staff confirmed that they wouldn't be able to save Harry.
"I begged, and I begged, and I begged. I offered them everything that I owned, but they just couldn't do anything," Kelly added.
Tragically, Harry died later that day, less than a week before his 15th birthday.
'My best mate'
Adam ran Harry's football team, Ferndale Rodbourne, and has continued to manage the side since his passing.
According to Adam, they had a game the weekend that Harry died, which his boy "was looking forward to".
The Nova Hreod pupil was a fanatic of the sport, with many mourners wearing football shirts at his funeral.
Hundreds of people attended the service at St Mary's Church, on the same road that Harry was knocked down.
The schoolboy was also hugely loved by his three siblings, Tom, Joe and Alfie.
Joe, 23, described Harry as "my best mate" who always made sure that "everyone around him was okay".
25-year-old Tom said his late brother "always made me laugh".
Since his death, almost £25,000 has been raised to support the Parker family.
Akers Way - what's next?
In a separate crash in 1991, five schoolchildren died after being knocked down on Akers Way. They too were hit by a car.
Following the crash, the road's speed limit was lowered from 40mph to 30mph. A roundabout was also added at the entrance of the Cheney Manor Industrial Estate.
In 2008, a footbridge that ran over Akers Way was dismantled, with many parents angered at the time.
It was used by Nova Hreod students to walk between its split sites. The school is now based at one location.
Adam and Kelly are campaigning to make Akers Way safer, as well as other roads near schools across the country.
They are calling for speed limits to be lowered to 20mph. The pair also want other traffic calming measures, such as speed cameras and speed bumps, to be introduced on busy routes.
Since Harry's death, his Dad regularly stands at Akers Way as children walk to school, to help them cross the road safely.
"I've been saying to some of the kids at school, at the crossing lights: 'Guys just wait two minutes, for the lights, so your parents don't have to wait a lifetime for you to come home'.
"I think some of that has been getting through to the children and they've been waiting. I don't want any parent to have that bad news.
"To have your world brought down around you, it's just such a dark cloud," he told Greatest Hits Radio.
Adam also wants mental health support to be offered to his son's friends, as "Harry is not there to look after people now".
On the day of the crash involving Harry, a woman was arrested on suspicion of causing serious injury by dangerous driving. She was released on conditional bail, pending further enquiries, shortly afterwards.
Police are continuing to investigate the collision.