Family’s plea after 26-year-old dad dies in quad bike accident in Turkey

A ‘heartbroken’ family whose 26-year-old son died in a ‘horrific’ quad bike accident in Turkey is pleading with other families not to use the vehicles as they said they were ‘dangerous’ and “it’s not worth it”. Lisa and Gavin Steward’s son Matthew Steward, from Harwich, Essex, died in the early hours of May 14 after the quad bike he was riding with his friend Cory Dove, 26, collided with another vehicle in Turkey.

Matthew traveled to Fethiye on 12 May 2024 for a family holiday with his partner of 24 years, Dannielle Rose, a carer, along with her daughter from a previous relationship, six-year-old Ruby, and their son Roman, three years old. On the night of May 13, Dannielle said Matthew and Cory left the hotel to go to a shop on the quad – and a few hours later, she was told they had died and that she and Cory’s partner had to- identify him. bodies.

Matthew’s family have been searching for answers but claim they have been “lied to” and given incorrect information, describing the weeks since his death as “absolute hell”. Lisa, 42, Gavin, 44, and Dannielle are now raising funds to cover any legal and other expenses, such as a lawyer and translator, and to buy a headstone for Matthew.

They urge other families not to use quad bikes because “no one needs this heartache.” Speaking about the impact of his death, Lisa told PA Real Life: ‘Dannielle can’t go home at the moment, it’s really hard for her to go home and we’re just devastated, absolutely devastated. Absolutely devastated.

“He has a twin brother, James, and they did everything together. They didn’t have many friends, they had each other, and he just said, “My life is over, the other half is gone.” “We have to keep going for him and the kids. It’s just heartbreaking.”

Lisa, Gavin and Dannielle described Matthew, who worked at a local power generation company, as charitable, outgoing, caring and shy. His favorite hobby was metal detecting – which inspired the name for his and Dannielle’s son, Roman – and he enjoyed “spending days at the beach with the kids” and going camping and fishing in his spare time.

The “hands-on dad” met Dannielle at school and they remained friends for years, each having separate relationships and children, but she said their relationship was “meant to be”. As a Christmas present for the couple, Dannielle’s parents booked them a family holiday to Turkey – and the pair flew out on May 12, 2024, with Ruby and Roman excited about the 10-day trip ahead.

Dannielle said Matthew’s friend Cory joined the family and rented a quad bike after they arrived in Turkey because he had previous driving experience. Late in the evening on May 13, Dannielle said Matthew and Cory, who was driving the quad, decided to take the vehicle for a trip to a store – and this led to the fatal collision, which Gavin described as a “total disaster. “.

Dannielle said: “Around midnight these ladies came and knocked on the door and just told me there had been an accident, they were both dead. The Jet2 representative said, “I want you to come with me now to identify the bodies, you have to get dressed”… and she said if you don’t come and identify the bodies, then the army will come and forcefully remove you.

“Then they put us in the car and off we went.”

On May 15, Dannielle’s parents flew to Turkey and arranged to lay flowers at the crash site – but Dannielle said they were taken to the “wrong accident scene”. “They laid flowers where they were told the accident happened, so as far as Dannielle knew, she was laying flowers at the resting place,” Lisa said.

Lisa and Gavin then flew to Turkey on May 16, determined to get “answers”, and asked to visit the site too – but after arriving at the location, they thought “it’s not right”. They said there was no evidence of an accident, but with the help of their friend who lived in Turkey and could translate for them, it was discovered that the location was “higher up” – and they later laid fresh flowers there.

“We go further up where we obviously find blood, police tape, blood on the rocks and on the road, pieces of the bus, pieces of the quad and personal items,” Lisa said. “I managed to find two separate pools of blood and later I went to a flower shop and got some fresh flowers and placed them there.”

Lisa and Gavin said they were initially told that Cory and Matthew ran into a bus, but later learned, again with the help of their friend, that it was more accurately “a bus from the hotel.” They said they were unable to see their son in Fethiye because the body had been taken to Antalya, but were told a post-mortem examination revealed the cause of death as an intracerebral haemorrhage.

After Matthew’s body was flown to Stansted Airport on May 21, the parents said they were told, following a further post-mortem examination, that the cause of death was in fact “multiple traumatic injuries”. They said they haven’t received his passport yet.

Lisa said: “It was an absolutely traumatic time and you can imagine how we feel. “It was lie after lie after lie. I had four weeks of hell, absolute hell.”

An inquest into the deaths of Matthew Steward and Cory Dove was opened and adjourned at Essex Coroner’s Court to 12 June 2024.

According to the BBC, the hearing heard that the friends, from Harwich, were involved in a road traffic collision with another vehicle in the early hours of May 14, 2024, and died from their injuries. Essex’s chief coroner, Lincoln Brookes, explained that a full inquest would take place in February 2025, the BBC said.

Since the collision, the family and Dannielle have set up a fundraiser to cover the legal and other expenses they will be billed for, which they estimate will run into the thousands, and to buy a headstone for Matthew. They hope to place the stone at Dovercourt Cemetery in Harwich so family, friends and children can visit and pay their respects.

As well as launching lanterns in Matei’s memory, they are planning his July 4 funeral, which will be a “celebration” of his life, and said spending time together as a family helps them deal with the pain. Lisa said: “As a mother you’re supposed to protect your children and I can’t do that for him – that’s the hardest thing for me, that I can’t make him better, there’s nothing I can do.

“Families out there need to realize that quad biking is classed as an extreme sport so you are not insured. These quad bikes are dangerous. Don’t look at them, no one needs this heartache. It’s not worth it.”

A Jet2 spokesperson said: “Our teams have provided full support and assistance to Ms Rose following this tragic incident and we continue to offer our sincere sympathies to all the family and friends of the deceased. Following the incident, our teams were present to help translate instructions on behalf of the Turkish authorities.”

To learn more about the fundraiser, visit: gofundme.com/f/matthew-steward.