Latest news with #CarlyCalland
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
‘My son left the house like every other day - 18 minutes later, he was in a coma'
When Carly Calland remembers her son Jacob, she pictures a boy always busy and on the move. 'He was always dressed, out the door, with his mates all day, come back, eat, sleep, computers. It was like one of those eat, sleep, breathe, repeat kind of things, but for a teenage boy,' she laughed. But on 19 March, Jacob Calland left his family's house in Wythenshawe, Manchester, for the last time. Just 18 minutes after he closed the front door, the 14-year-old was involved in a catastrophic collision. He had been riding as a passenger on the back of his friend's e-scooter, and neither of them had been wearing any protection. Carly never allowed Jacob an e-scooter of his own and often warned him they were 'illegal and dangerous'. But she says a 'split-second decision' to ride on the back of someone else's cost him his life, and is now calling for tighter regulations around the vehicles. 'I was at my mum's house on the afternoon of the crash, and I got a call from my partner,' Carly recalled. 'Honestly, at first I just thought, 'Oh what's he done now?' 'I knew he had been knocked over, but I didn't know - and didn't want to believe - how serious it was.' Carly raced to the scene and found her son already in a coma in the back of an ambulance. As he was taken to the hospital, she followed in what she described as the 'longest' journey. 'I was just thinking, what's he done? Is he alive? How bad is it?' she said. 'I didn't know what had happened at this point. I just knew he was in a coma.' When she arrived, the police were waiting. They explained to her that Jacob had been on the back of an e-scooter that had been involved in a crash. Jacob had been rushed in for scans that revealed he had a large bleed to his brain. Medics decided to keep him in a coma in a bid to prevent his brain from swelling further and give his body a chance to rest. 'It was surreal seeing your baby like that,' Carly said. 'I don't even know how to explain it. It was horrible.' Over the next week, Jacob was kept in intensive care, where he was cared for by doctors around the clock. But eight days after the collision, Jacob died after suffering a cardiac arrest. 'I felt so powerless,' Carly said. 'It's like things are taken out of your control, and there's nothing you can do about it. You feel like you're the mum, you need to protect them. 'I feel like when they told me, everything just got taken away from me. There was nothing I could do but just be there with him, tell him how much I love him, and tell him how much I'm proud of him. I'm proud of the fight that he gave.' Almost five months on from the tragedy, Carly is putting her energy into trying to make sure what happened to Jacob doesn't happen to anyone else. She has launched Jacob's Journey, a campaign aimed at changing the law around e-scooter use and calling for tighter regulations. Jacob's Journey is petitioning the government to ban the sale and use of e-scooters to anyone under 18, as well as making helmets and protection mandatory and prohibiting the carrying of passengers. It is currently illegal to ride a privately owned e-scooter on a public road or pavement, but they are widely found for sale. There is no legal minimum age to purchase a private e-scooter in the UK. 'Jacob's never, ever going to come back for me, so what I'm doing doesn't make any difference to my life,' she continued. 'I'm doing this out of the goodness of my heart to save other people's lives.' As part of the campaign, she released a video telling the devastating story behind Jacob's death. She said she hopes putting her life out there 'in the rawest form' encourages other people to 'stop and think' before they make the same choice. 'He left this front door and 18 minutes later, he was no longer here,' she said. 'He got on the back of that scooter and didn't think twice about the repercussions. 'That's the message I'm trying to get across to people who make a split decision - this can be your outcome. I never thought it was going to happen to me, Jacob never thought it was going to happen to him.' Greater Manchester Police is continuing to appeal for witnesses in connection with the collision, and has issued an appeal to trace the driver of a white 2015 onward Kia Venga who they believe could have 'vital information'. Detective Constable Steve Pennington said: "This was a truly tragic incident that has devastated a young boy's family. Our thoughts remain with Jacob's loved ones, and we continue to support his family as they navigate this unimaginable loss. 'We are very keen to speak to the driver of the white Kia Venga who may have witnessed the moments leading up to the collision. I want to be clear that they are not under suspicion – we believe they could have vital information that may help us understand what happened. If you are that driver, or know who they might be, please get in touch with us as soon as possible.' A Department for Transport spokesperson said: 'Road safety is a top priority. Every death on our roads is a tragedy and our thoughts are with everyone who has lost a loved one in this way. 'The use of private e-scooters is illegal in any public space. Riding rental scooters on the pavement is also illegal and local authorities should have a plan in place to tackle such behaviour.' Solve the daily Crossword
The Independent
4 days ago
- The Independent
‘My son left the house like every other day - 18 minutes later he was no longer here'
When Carly Calland remembers her son Jacob, she pictures a boy always busy and on the move. 'He was always dressed, out the door, with his mates all day, come back, eat, sleep, computers. It was like one of those eat, sleep, breathe, repeat kind of things, but for a teenage boy,' she laughed. But on 19 March, Jacob Calland left his family's house in Wythenshawe, Manchester, for the last time. Just 18 minutes after he closed the front door, the 14-year-old was involved in a catastrophic collision. He had been riding as a passenger on the back of his friend's e-scooter, and neither of them had been wearing any protection. Carly never allowed Jacob an e-scooter of his own and often warned him they were ' illegal and dangerous '. But she says a 'split-second decision' to ride on the back of someone else's cost him his life, and is now calling for tighter regulations around the vehicles. 'I was at my mum's house on the afternoon of the crash, and I got a call from my partner,' Carly recalled. 'Honestly, at first I just thought, 'Oh what's he done now?' 'I knew he had been knocked over, but I didn't know - and didn't want to believe - how serious it was.' Carly raced to the scene and found her son already in a coma in the back of an ambulance. As he was taken to the hospital, she followed in what she described as the 'longest' journey. 'I was just thinking, what's he done? Is he alive? How bad is it?' she said. 'I didn't know what had happened at this point. I just knew he was in a coma.' When she arrived, the police were waiting. They explained to her that Jacob had been on the back of an e-scooter that had been involved in a crash. Jacob had been rushed in for scans that revealed he had a large bleed to his brain. Medics decided to keep him in a coma in a bid to prevent his brain from swelling further and give his body a chance to rest. 'It was surreal seeing your baby like that,' Carly said. 'I don't even know how to explain it. It was horrible.' Over the next week, Jacob was kept in intensive care, where he was cared for by doctors around the clock. But eight days after the collision, Jacob died after suffering a cardiac arrest. 'I felt so powerless,' Carly said. 'It's like things are taken out of your control, and there's nothing you can do about it. You feel like you're the mum, you need to protect them. 'I feel like when they told me, everything just got taken away from me. There was nothing I could do but just be there with him, tell him how much I love him, and tell him how much I'm proud of him. I'm proud of the fight that he gave.' Almost five months on from the tragedy, Carly is putting her energy into trying to make sure what happened to Jacob doesn't happen to anyone else. She has launched Jacob's Journey, a campaign aimed at changing the law around e-scooter use and calling for tighter regulations. Jacob's Journey is petitioning the government to ban the sale and use of e-scooters to anyone under 18, as well as making helmets and protection mandatory and prohibiting the carrying of passengers. It is currently illegal to ride a privately owned e-scooter on a public road or pavement, but they are widely found for sale. There is no legal minimum age to purchase a private e-scooter in the UK. 'Jacob's never, ever going to come back for me, so what I'm doing doesn't make any difference to my life,' she continued. 'I'm doing this out of the goodness of my heart to save other people's lives.' As part of the campaign, she released a video telling the devastating story behind Jacob's death. She said she hopes putting her life out there 'in the rawest form' encourages other people to 'stop and think' before they make the same choice. 'He left this front door and 18 minutes later, he was no longer here,' she said. 'He got on the back of that scooter and didn't think twice about the repercussions. 'That's the message I'm trying to get across to people who make a split decision - this can be your outcome. I never thought it was going to happen to me, Jacob never thought it was going to happen to him.' Greater Manchester Police is continuing to appeal for witnesses in connection with the collision, and has issued an appeal to trace the driver of a white 2015 onward Kia Venga who they believe could have 'vital information'. Detective Constable Steve Pennington said: "This was a truly tragic incident that has devastated a young boy's family. Our thoughts remain with Jacob's loved ones, and we continue to support his family as they navigate this unimaginable loss. 'We are very keen to speak to the driver of the white Kia Venga who may have witnessed the moments leading up to the collision. I want to be clear that they are not under suspicion – we believe they could have vital information that may help us understand what happened. If you are that driver, or know who they might be, please get in touch with us as soon as possible.' A Department for Transport spokesperson said: 'Road safety is a top priority. Every death on our roads is a tragedy and our thoughts are with everyone who has lost a loved one in this way. 'The use of private e-scooters is illegal in any public space. Riding rental scooters on the pavement is also illegal and local authorities should have a plan in place to tackle such behaviour.'
BBC News
25-06-2025
- BBC News
'I warned my son not to ride e-scooters before he died in a crash'
A mother has described how her 14-year-old son was killed after a "split-second decision" to get on the back of a friend's electric Calland died a week after the e-scooter he was travelling on with his friend, who was also 14, crashed into a car on Southmoor Road, Manchester, on 19 Calland who arrived at the scene moments after the crash, said "18 minutes of him leaving this front door, his life was gone".She has called for stricter regulations and safety measures for e-scooters and said "if I can save one life it is going to be worth it". E-scooters are legal to buy and use on private land, but it is illegal to ride them on public roads unless they are hired through an authorised rental Calland has launched a campaign 12 weeks after Jacob's death calling for the introduction of licenses for e-scooters to stop them being sold to those under the age of 18, and new rules prohibiting passengers being carried on the back. The Department for Transport have been contacted for comment. Ms Calland described her son as "very loving, headstrong, and a cheeky chappy"."He knew what he wanted in life and he was always going to go for it," she said. 'Not easy;' Ms Calland said her son's fatal crash was "something I've never seen before"."You see it on TV but that's your life changing in that split instance it was surreal", she conversations with Jacob, she had warned him not to get on e-bikes or electric scooters, because "he didn't have road sense on his feet never mind on something as powerful as these things", she her calls for e-scooter licences and a ban on their sale to children, Ms Calland wants to see more safety equipment on the said: "When we get in a car we have to wear a seat belt. Why when they get on the e-scooters do they just get to go on them with no helmets [and] no safety equipment?"She also wants stricter punishments for those breaching e-scooter said: "You think it is never going to be you. I thought the same. I never thought that my son was going to die on an e-scooter. "I hope no other parent, brother, sister... has to go through this because it isn't an easy journey. "I just hope that our message and campaign and... putting my pain into [Jacob's] power is going to save somebody else from doing this." Listen to the best of BBC Radio Manchester on Sounds and follow BBC Manchester on Facebook, X, and Instagram. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.
Daily Mail
16-05-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
Mother reveals heartbreaking messages she sent to son, 14, as he lay dying in intensive care after helmetless e-scooter crash
A mother who lost her 14-year-old son in an e-scooter crash has revealed the heartbreaking messages she sent her 'amazing boy' while he lay dying in intensive care. Jacob Calland was riding on the back of an e-scooter without a helmet through a busy junction in Wythenshawe, Manchester, on March 19 when the horrific crash happened. He suffered a severe head injury and was given urgent life-saving treatment by paramedics on the scene. Jacob was then taken to Royal Manchester Children's Hospital, where he was kept under sedation on an intensive care ward for eight days. While he was on the ward, his mother Carly Calland sent him messages with the hope that he would wake up and read them. On March 22, three days into his treatment, she wrote: 'Morning son... your numbers are looking good, your sodium levels are a little high so they had to give you some medicine to correct them. 'You also ain't reacting to the light in your eyes but that's okay because you are under a lot of sedation which is good for you as we need your brain to get better xxx 'But mums here right by your side I love you son xx' Jacob contracted sepsis and went into cardiac arrest, he was stabilised after 20 minutes of resuscitation but the swelling intensified After she sent the message, Jacob's condition worsened - he contracted sepsis and went into cardiac arrest. He was stabilised after 20 minutes of resuscitation but the swelling intensified. In another text message, Ms Calland wrote: 'I had a feeling there was something wrong… You're so poorly it's so scary! 'Come on buddy mum can't lose you! Bring those numbers down for me!!! I love you.' On March 27 he died and was never able to read the heartfelt messages from his mother. Since then, Ms Calland has campaigned for tighter restrictions around the use of e-scooters. Most recently, she has released a video titled 'Jacob's Journey - Life Over Death' to prevent other young people from suffering the same fate. It shows Jacob walking out of his Wythenshawe home on March 19, and footage of the air ambulance landing close to the Lidl supermarket following the collision. Jacob was taken to Royal Manchester Children's Hospital, where he was kept under sedation on an intensive care ward for eight days The video is 18 minutes long - the exact amount of time it took for him to leave his home and crash into the vehicle. It has been viewed more than 20,000 times on YouTube in the last four days and details what happened in the immediate aftermath. It includes screenshots from social media of people questioning what had happened, and a phone call to Carly telling her Jacob had been in an accident. In the aftermath of the collision, Carly says social media was flooded with 'abusive and nasty comments' about Jacob and her family from people who had no idea what had happened, or the circumstances. She hopes those people will watch the video and think twice before making judgments on people in the future. The 36-year-old said she made the video and started the online campaign for better legislation around e-scooters 'to share what me and Jacob went through, to warn parents and children about the consequences of riding e-scooters and to remind people that they are illegal to use'. 'If my video and campaign stops just one child getting on one then my pain was worth it,' said Carly, who has a younger son Jaxley, seven. 'The law needs to change urgently. Anyone of any age can buy an e-scooter and there is no age limit on who can ride them. The 36-year-old said she made the video and started the online campaign for better legislation around e-scooters 'to share what me and Jacob went through' 'The only thing the law says is that they can't be used in public, which so many adults and children just ignore. I'm not the only one grieving but all of Jacob's friends are too. They are devastated.' In the UK it is illegal to ride e-scooters on pavements, public roads or cycle lanes. If a driver is caught doing this, they can be fined and have their scooter seized. However, since 2019, 49 people have died while riding e-scooters. In total, 29 people died between 2020 and 2023 in 4,515 e-scooter collisions, which also caused 4,807 injuries, 1,402 of them serious. Greater Manchester Police said no arrests have been made in connection with the collision. Anyone who witnessed the incident or has any CCTV, dashcam, or doorbell footage is asked to get in touch with officers.
