A dad who lost two of his children in a horrific car crash while they were driving home from a football game has issued an emotional plea begging people not to drink and drive during the World Cup. Steve Kimberley's son Matthew, 12, and daughter Lucy, 10 were both killed in a collision after an intoxicated man driving a Range Rover crashed into them on the A38 in 1996.
A family friend, 19-year-old Ben Jewell, and the drunk driver also died in the crash which Steve survived but was left wheelchair bound as a result, the Mirror reports. Images of the dreadful scene show Steve's completely destroyed car which was left so badly damaged that police were unable to identify what sort of car it was.
Twenty-five years on from the awful accident, Steve has issued a warning to people getting behind the wheel during the World Cup celebrations and in the build up to the festive period. Steve, from Falmouth, Cornwall, had taken Matthew, Lucy and Ben to watch a Chelsea vs Plymouth Argyle match in a pre-season friendly.
He said: "After the game we headed back to the car and started our journey home. We got out of Plymouth and got down to Notter Bridge and as we came around the bend to the left and were hit at high speed by a drink driver who was driving a Range Rover.
"It hit us with such speed his car left the ground and landed the other way on the road." Steve reminisced about the silence that came after the impact which would realistically have been ''only seconds'' but seemed to last a lifetime while he tried to focus on what had just happened.
"After those few seconds all hell broke loose - the sound of metal, breaking glass and hissing and the smell of diesel. It must have been awful for those who saw it and the emergency services who attended."
The crash left Ben critically injured, while Lucy, who had been sitting behind her dad, was conscious at first despite the impact. Steve's son Matthew passed away shortly after despite paramedic's desperate attempts to save him with CPR.
The helpless father was cut out of the vehicle and unable to see his children while his daughter sadly died after medics tried to treat her severe injuries. Steve recalled a kind hearted coach driver called Gary, who had been driving a load of fans home from the game and stayed with the family while firefighters attempted to cut them out of the car.
"I honestly can't remember who it was who told me - it might have been a doctor, but it might have been my wife or my father-in-law. They just said 'the kids are gone'," he said.
"I thought it was a bad dream. I knew they were hurt but I had this feeling that they were going to be alright.
"I remember saying to someone 'this isn't fair, how is this fair?' The following week Ben's parents had to take the decision to switch his life support machine off.
"I can't imagine what that must have been like for them. He was their only son.
"There's something very sobering about seeing your children, covered in a white sheet, both in coffins. That was the last time I saw my children.
"Nobody wants to outlive their kids." Steve pays tribute to his children and shares their story every year on Facebook to try and raise awareness around the devastating consequences of driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
He has partnered up with Devon & Cornwall Police this year for their Life Legend Christmas drink drive campaign with 110 licensed venues offering free soft drinks to designated drivers. He said: "It's quite simple, if you know you're going out for a night, you can do a number of things.
"You could have a designated driver who you provide with free coffees and soft drinks for the night. If you can afford to drink, you can afford a taxi or an Uber or a minicab.
"If you're not too bad, you can walk home safely. Or just don't drink, because not having a drink won't kill you.
"If you're in a group of people and someone is drinking and you know they are thinking of driving, you have a responsibility to do one of several things. Take their keys away, walk them home, call them a cab.
"Never get in a car with a driver if you know they've been drinking, you are putting yourself in danger. Park your car in front of theirs so they can't get out.
"If you're a publican and you know someone has driven to your pub, you have a responsibility to yourself, that person, their family and anyone else. It's all about taking responsibility."
Police and Crime Commissioner for Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly Alison Hernandez said drink driving was "completely unacceptable". It puts the driver, passengers and innocent members of the public at substantial risk."
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