The heartbroken friends of a man who tragically died in a moped crash just hours after arriving in Turkey on his first foreign holiday are desperately fundraising to bring his body home.
Kyle Barrow, 27 and his best mate Cal Junior, 24, arrived at their hotel in Antalya on Wednesday morning and got ready for a "day of adventures", the Mirror reports. The pair, from Oldham, hired two mopeds and headed to the beach for jet skiing and parasailing.
At lunchtime, they hopped back on their scooters and were on their way back to the resort when tragedy struck. Just moments away from their hotel, Cal realised that his Kyle was no longer behind him - and he turned to see that his moped had crashed, leaving Kyle in a pool of blood in the middle of the road.
Speaking from Turkey, Cal explained: “Kyle’s moped was on the side of the road. I grabbed him, screaming, taking him on to the grass, as there were still cars going past. I held him, I was kissing him, screaming at him, with blood all over me.
“He was looking at me and smiling and then he went cold and I just knew.”
Kyle was rushed to hospital, but was sadly declared dead shortly after arriving. Cal did not witness the collision and does not know if police are planning to investigate.
Cal was left "screaming" and struggling to breath when doctors gave him the news that Kyle has passed away - and faced another blow when he tried to organise bringing his body home. The friends had forgotten to buy insurance before the holiday and only purchased it after touching down in Turkey - however, the £25-a-head policy did not cover repatriation costs.
Now, Cal and his girlfriend Hannah Marie, 25, are crowdfunding to raise £35,000 to fly Kyle home and cover the costs of his funeral. Hannah – a hotel worker who has been in a relationship with Kyle since they were in high school – received the heartbreaking news when Cal phoned from the hospital.
She said: “I was freaking out. Kyle is my whole life, we did everything together. I don’t know what I will do with myself. I just want him home with me.”
Cal, a salesman and TikTok influencer , added: “Kyle had never been abroad and we were so excited. I don’t think he’d been happier. Kyle always wanted to go parasailing, so I said ‘Let’s do it’ and it was amazing. We did jet skiing, too, and he was laughing his head off. He was just in his element.
“Kyle had the biggest heart in the world and I just want to give him a good send-off now. He needs to be home with everyone, I owe it to him.”
The Foreign Office said: “We are assisting the family of a British man who died in Turkey and are in contact with the local authorities.”
To support the fundraiser for Kyle’s repatriation, visit gofundme.com/f/please-help-us-get-kyle-home
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