THE parents of a young Thornbury man who was killed in a road crash are working to help other families in their position.
Tyler Carley (above), who was 20, died in December when the lorry he was a passenger in overturned on the A4174 Avon Ring Road, near Mangotsfield.
The former Castle School pupil’s family have set up a foundation in his memory to help charities offering help to bereaved relatives, after finding it hard to find support themselves following his death.
In their first major fundraising event, a team of runners is coming together to race in Tyler’s memory at May’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 bereaved families of children and young people aged under 25 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 in his memory.
Already more than 20 people have volunteered to run, with an initial target set of raising £5,000 through sponsorship and online donations.
Support for bereaved families
Mark said every penny raised would go towards charities supporting other families in a similar position, and to raise awareness of their work.
Eventually he hopes that the foundation will be able to offer help direct to local bereaved families struggling with funeral and burial costs, or living expenses after having to take time off work.
Mark, who lives in Hengrove and 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.
Mark said: “It’s surprising the number of people who don’t know any first aid.”
Friends, family and supporters come together to raise money
Tyler lived in Kingswood before moving to Mangotsfield and then Thornbury, attending St Stephen’s infant and junior schools before going to Mangotsfield School and then The Castle School.
He was living in Thornbury with mum Gemma and working as a scaffolder when he died.
Mark said Tyler had a big group of friends from Kingswood, Mangotsfield and Thornbury, and also had many friends from playing football for Deerswood, Longwell Green and Bristol Rovers’ development squad.
He was a big Bristol Rovers fan, following the club home and away, both with his dad and with friends.
People from all areas of Tyler’s life are supporting the fundraising, along with Mark’s colleagues at gas supplier Flogas – the company is supplying running tops for the team running the 10k on May 19.
After the race the runners, supporters, friends and families are being invited to meet at the function room at The Swan in Thornbury High Street, from noon onwards.
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.
Adam will run 5k a day
AMONG those running to raise money in Tyler’s memory is Adam Young, a fellow Bristol Rovers fan who got to know Tyler and Mark from attending away games together.
Adam, who grew up in Downend and is now living in Chipping Sodbury, has pledged to run 5km every day during May.
Adam, who works at Bristol Airport, said: “I knew Tyler through supporting Bristol Rovers.
“He was a polite, happy and friendly lad, who enjoyed his away trips with us, going to grounds that we hadn’t been to before.
“I saw everyone was going to do the Bristol 10k, but I can’t do it due to work commitments. I still wanted to raise money for the foundation, so I came up with 5k a day for May.
“The routes will vary and I will try to mix them up – even when I’m away in the Canaries, I’ll still be running over there every day.”
Adam has already received pledges of more than £650 online – his JustGiving page can be found at tinyurl.com/dffmwdbz.
*A 37-year-old man was arrested in connection with Tyler’s death and later released under investigation.
Police say their enquiries into the circumstances of the collision are ongoing and there have been no charges as yet.