'A void that will never be filled': Sisters make safety plea 10 years on from beloved brother's road death, aged just 21
Still-grieving sisters of man tragically killed in a road crash aged just 21 have made an impassioned safety plea on the 10th anniversary of his passing, stating: “Never lose sight of how precious life is.”
Jay Reardon, a lecturer at South Eastern Regional College and huge fan of motorbikes, died in a single-vehicle accident on Belfast Road, Newtownards, on July 31, 2016.
A football fanatic who played for local teams and keenly followed Arsenal, his three sisters Laura, Anna and Susi today look back with the sorrow on the many milestones in their lives that they’ve been unable to share with their beloved missing brother.
“Life hasn’t been the same since Jay passed,” said Laura. “There is now a void that will never be filled.
“We can’t share the news of buying our first homes, getting that dream job, attending graduations with him and celebrating all of our wins together.
"It brings me great sadness Jay won’t be able to experience some of the most important things in life we all go through, like falling in love, getting married, having children and travelling the world.” Anna was just 11 when he died. She misses someone she remembers as a funny, mischievous and outdoor-loving big brother who “was always there” for her.
“There are times where I think ‘I’d love Jay to see this’, or ‘I wish Jay was here with me’,” she said. “I just hope he’s looking over us all, and can see how far we’ve come.
“It feels like a lifetime since we’ve had Jay in our lives but, at the same time, it feels like yesterday that we got the worst news ever; that Jay has passed away in a motorbike accident.”
Susi, his youngest sister, will soon be as old as Jay was when he died. Nearing her 21st birthday, she says it breaks her heart “to realise that this is all Jay ever got to experience in life”.
She stated: “He should have had so much more to see, so much more to do, and so many more memories to make.
“I often wish we could go back to that morning and have just one more day of normality before our lives changed forever.
“Jay will always be part of us. He was a cheeky, intelligent and loving brother who brought so much laughter into our lives – those ordinary moments are the ones you never realise you’ll miss until they’re gone.”
The sisters hope that their late brother’s legacy can be to increase safety on the roads by encouraging drivers and bikers alike to take more care, make safer decisions and look out for each other.
Said Laura: “The road is something we all share. A little more patience, respect and awareness could save someone's son, daughter, brother, sister, mum or dad."
Added Anna: “You don’t want your family to receive the same heart-breaking news that ours did [or] be responsible for someone else’s family receiving the worst news.
Susi reinforced: “Not every serious road traffic collision involves excessive speed, drugs or alcohol. Sometimes devastating accidents happen in a split second, without warning.”