Family says ‘no one needs this’ after 26-year-old man dies in quad bike accident in Turkey

A “heartbroken” family whose 26-year-old son died in a “horrific” quad bike accident in Turkey has made a plea to other families across the country.

Lisa and Gavin Steward’s son Matthew Steward, from Harwich, Essex, died in the early hours of May 14 after the quad he was riding with his friend Cory Dove, 26, crashed with another vehicle in Turkey. Matthew traveled to Fethiye on May 12 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 the “upsetting” news that they had died and that she and Cory’s partner had to to identify the bodies. Matthew’s family searched for answers.

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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 said: “Dannielle can’t go home at the moment, it’s really hard for her to go home and we’re just devastated, absolutely heartbroken. 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 just 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.

He enjoyed “spending the days at the beach with the kids” and going camping and fishing in his free 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, 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 bike, decided to take a trip with the vehicle to a store and this led to the fatal accident, which Gavin described as a “total disaster”. .

Dannielle said: “Around midnight these ladies came and knocked on the door and 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 that if you don’t come to identify the bodies, then the army will come and force you away.

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

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”.

Lisa said: “They laid flowers where they were told the accident happened, so as far as Dannielle knew, she was laying flowers at the resting place.”

Gavin and Lisa then flew to Turkey on May 16, determined to get “answers”, and asked to visit the site as well, but after arriving at the location, they thought it “wasn’t 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.

Lisa added: “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. I was able to find two separate pools. of blood and then I went to a flower shop and got some fresh flowers and put them there.”

The parents said they were initially told that Cory and Matthew had collided with 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 then 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.

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

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 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 accident, 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. With lanterns being released in Matthew’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, which is the hardest thing for me, not being able to make everything better for him, there’s nothing I can do. Families out. you have to realize that quad biking is classed as an extreme sport so you are not insured.”

“These quad bikes are dangerous. Don’t ride 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 assist with the translation of instructions on behalf of the Turkish authorities.”

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

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