Little Ruby Cropper was on her way to meet up with a friend in the park during the summer holidays.
But the actions of a dangerous driver that day led to her life being cruelly cut short. She was just 11-years-old.
Crossing New Road in Radcliffe that fateful day in August 2020, she was hit by a speeding motorist who fled the scene.
Ruby, a caring and funny young girl, was left in the road with ‘unsurvivable injuries’. When 36-year-old Andrew Cairns was brought before a jury for causing death by dangerous driving in 2022, the court heard he had not expressed any 'remorse or regret' for what he had done.
Cairns was on his way home from work in Whitefield and had been driving ‘in excess speed’ at the time he hit Ruby. He did not brake, the court heard during the trial.
Instead of staying at the scene to check if Ruby was okay, Cairns fled. He later abandoned his car and walked home - soon after, he rang police to say he had hit a young girl with his car.
Cairns was jailed for five years after a jury unanimously convicted him of causing death by dangerous driving.
Now, Ruby’s loving brother is shining a light on the heroes who came to Ruby’s aid and made sure she wasn’t alone in her painful dying moments.
Young Ruby suffered severe head injuries in the crash. She was treated at the scene by the air ambulance crew, before being taken to hospital where she died two days later.
Her older brother Ryan Veitch, 26, said: "The crew who attended the incident were amazing. They were on the scene within 15 minutes and dealt with the situation very well - to give Ruby the best chance of survival.
"They also helped to keep my mum calm at what was an incredibly traumatic time, and reassure her that Ruby was in the best hands."
Now Ryan, who is a business services assistant at MC Construction, said his company have nominated North West Air Ambulance Charity (NWAAC) as their charity of the year.
“I will always have a lot of respect for the charity", Ryan said. "It’s a wonderful cause and an organisation which has a special place in my heart. It functions with no government funding, and I want them to be able to continue their work and support them wherever possible.”
Ruby’s family donated her organs to respect her own wishes following the tragedy, leading to her family to accept a posthumous honour with the Order of St John UK Award for Organ Donation on her behalf.
Paying tribute to his little sister Ruby, Ryan said: “She was a sweet little angel. She had a very caring nature, she was funny, witty and always laughing. She was clever and a star student at her school.
“She is greatly missed by everyone who knew her. I wear a necklace containing her ashes so she is always with me.”
Ryan is planning a series of fundraising events and activities involving MC Construction during the course of the year. “I think it’s fantastic that the staff at MC Construction have voted NWAA Charity as our charity of the year,” he continued.
"Everyone at the company has been really supportive. We’re like one big family here and hopefully we will be able to raise a lot of money.”
The North West Air Ambulance Charity’s helicopters and rapid response vehicles operate 365 days a year, with highly-skilled specialist doctors and paramedics on board providing enhanced pre-hospital care and hospital transfers to patients across the entire North West.
Since it launched in 1999, the charity has been called to over 22,000 missions across the region, with the service called out an average of seven times a day.
It is completely reliant on public and corporate donations to keep it operational and helping to save lives, needing to raise over £9.5m a year to support its lifesaving service.
MC Construction director Chris Purcell said: “We’re extremely pleased to be supporting North West Air Ambulance Charity as our charity of the year. Everyone at the company has been touched by the tragic loss of Ruby, and this is a way of showing our support for Ryan and his family too.
“The charity provides a service which is vital for the region, and we hope that the money we raise will make a significant difference.”
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