Al Brown was due to fly home to meet his newborn grandson hours after the accident which happened at the property in Tepoztlan, a popular tourist destination near Mexico City
A British dad died after he was electrocuted doing DIY for a woman who gave him a place to stay on a cycling trip in Mexico.
Al Brown, 50, was supposed to fly home hours after the accident, because he was going to meet his newborn grandson forthe first time. The baby had been born while Al was away on a cycling holiday in Mexico, during which a woman gave him a place to stay in Tepoztlan, near Mexico City.
But the grandfather of five accidentally touched a live overhead cable as he was sweeping the roof at the property and, despite the best efforts of the woman and paramedics, Al was declared dead at the scene on Monday June 2. Tributes have poured in for the “kind-hearted” dad, a keen cyclist and fisherman from Norwich.
A GoFundMe page has now been created to raise money to bring Al’s body back to the UK. Tony Bidwell, a family friend, said: “Al was a kind-hearted man who would do anything for anyone and was always smiling. He had a fantastic sense of humour.”
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Tony, who started the GoFundMe page last week, told Mail Online: “He had a passion for hiking and cycling long distances. He loved his children Chloe and Aaron, and his stepdaughters Vicky and Natalie – as well as his five grandsons.
“Sadly, Al passed away before meeting his youngest grandson, who was born while Al was away travelling. The main reason for Al wanting to come home was to meet his baby grandson for the first time as well as seeing all of his family, who he was missing.”
More than £3,000 has been donated to the fundraiser so far, though Tony is hoping to exceed the £5,000 mark. The friend, of Norwich, said Al completed the 2,650-mile-long Pacific Crest Trail, which stretches from Canada to Mexico, on his bike before the accident. The grandfather then had to have a hernia operation, which he funded himself, in Mexico.
It was while Al was recovering when he went to stay on a “work away” placement and carried out light household maintenance jobs on the property. These included painting in return for the board.
But the freak accident happened on June 2, which has rocked the man’s family. His wife and two of his daughters have flown out to Mexico amid the difficult repatriation conundrum.
“Any money raised from the GoFundMe will go towards the costs to bring Al home to rest and to give his family and friends some peace. As you can imagine this is very expensive and complicated,” Tony added.
To donate to the GoFundMe page for Al – click here.