THE parents of a young man who was killed in a crash on the Avon Ring Road are working to help other families in their position.
Tyler Carley, who was 20 and grew up in Kingswood, died in December when the lorry he was a passenger in overturned on the A4174.
His family have set up a foundation in his memory, to help charities that offer help to bereaved relatives, after finding it hard to find support following his death.
In their first major fundraising event, a team of runners is coming together to race in Tyler’s memory at this month’s Great Bristol Run.
Tyler’s dad Mark said he, Tyler’s mum Gemma and siblings Kylan, Skye and Ronni-Irene, had founded The Road Forward – Tyler Carley Foundation to support road accident victims’ families in the light of their own experience.
He said that in the immediate aftermath of Tyler’s death: “We literally had no support. The police give you a green book and send you on your way. You come home and get an email about six hours later from your police liaison officer, and that’s it. There was nothing at all for Tyler’s sisters, brother, aunts and uncles.”
The family eventually found two charities which offered help.
The first, SCARD (Support & Care After Road Death & Injury), provides a phone helpline, free counselling, legal and practical support for families affected by road deaths and serious injuries.
The second, 2Wish, supports the families of children and young people who have died, offering counselling, home visits and ‘memory boxes’.
After supporting SCARD with donations from mourners at Tyler’s funeral, the family started considering a more permanent way of honouring his memory.
Mark said they decided to go ahead and set up The Road Forward after people who knew Tyler contacted them offering to run the 10k at the Great Bristol Run on May 19 in his memory. Already more than 20 people have volunteered to run, with an initial target of raising £5,000.
Mark, who grew up in Kingswood, also hopes to organise sessions to teach CPR at Kingswood Boxing Club, where he is a volunteer coach, after learning that passers-by tried to revive Tyler at the scene of the crash that claimed his life.
Tyler lived in Kingswood before moving to Mangotsfield and then Thornbury, attending St Stephen’s infants and juniors He was working as a scaffolder when he died.
Mark said Tyler had a big group of friends from Kingswood, Mangotsfield and Thornbury, and also from playing football for Deerswood, Longwell Green and Bristol Rovers’ development squad.
He was a big Rovers fan, following the club home and away.
More details on The Road Forward can be found at the charity’s Facebook and Twitter accounts, or by emailing info@tylercarley.org. A website is also being set up at tylercarley.org.
Anyone who wants to donate to the foundation online can do so via its JustGiving page at tinyurl.com/4aknubcs.
Tragic family’s mission to help
