Jacob Calland’s heartbroken mum Carly has launched a campaign to prevent others from dying in an e-scooter crash like the one that killed her 14-year-old son in Wythenshawe
A mum has launched a life-saving campaign to prevent children from meeting the same tragic fate as her son after he died having made a ‘split-second decision’ and got on an e-scooter.
Jacob Calland, 14, had been warned about the dangers of e-scooters by his mum, who refused to let him get one. But the teen made a ‘split-second decision’ to hop on the back of another boy’s scooter one fateful afternoon in March this year – a decision that cost him his life. Police were called to Wythenshawe to reports of a collision on March 19 after an e-scooter being ridden by two 14-year-olds collided with a car and came to rest on a third vehicle.
Jacob was rushed to hospital in a life-threatening condition. But eight days later, he died as a result of his injuries. Now, Jacob’s devastated mum Carly has released a powerful video about the incident in a bid to stop other youngsters from suffering the same fate.
Titled ‘Jacob’s Journey – Life Over Death’, the video captures Jacob leaving his Wythenshawe home on the day of the tragedy, and footage of the air ambulance landing near the Lidl supermarket following the collision, reports the Manchester Evening News. Jacob and another 14 year old were riding the electric scooter on Timpson Road, crossing the junction at Southmoor Road, when they collided with a car and ended up on a third vehicle. Neither of them were wearing a helmet or any other safety gear.
The video recounts what transpired immediately after the accident, including screenshots from social media of people wondering what had occurred, and a phone call to Carly informing her that Jacob had been involved in an accident. A teenager suffered a grave head injury and received immediate life-saving treatment from paramedics at the scene before being rushed to the Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital.
The heart-wrenching video, which has racked up over 20,000 views on YouTube in just four days, captures the poignant messages Carly sent to her son’s mobile while he lay in hospital, holding onto the hope that he would one day read them and grasp the gravity of the situation. However, his condition worsened, leading to his untimely death on March 27.
“Jacob made a split-second decision to go on the back of another boy’s e-scooter and it cost him his life,” Carly said, speaking to the Manchester Evening News. “Jacob wasn’t driving the scooter, he was the passenger. I never allowed Jacob to have an e-scooter because I know how dangerous they are.
“I can’t believe that people don’t understand that they are illegal to use in public. I’ve seen so many kids and adults riding around on them on the roads, on the pavements. They are risking theirs and other people’s lives.”
The devastated 36-year-old mum explained she created the video and launched an online campaign for stricter e-scooter legislation ‘to share what me and Jacob went through, to warn parents and children about the consequences of riding e-scooters and to remind people that they are illegal to use’.
“If my video and campaign stops just one child getting on one then my pain was worth it,” said Carly, who also has a younger son named Jaxley, aged seven. “The law needs to change urgently. Anyone of any age can buy an e-scooter and there is no age limit on who can ride them.
“The only thing the law says is that they can’t be used in public, which so many adults and children just ignore. I’m not the only one grieving but all of Jacob’s friends are too. They are devastated.”
In the wake of the tragic accident, Carly revealed that she and her family were bombarded with ‘abusive and nasty comments’ online from those clueless about what really happened. She urges those who were quick to judge to watch the video and reconsider their harsh words.
“People assumed that I had bought him the scooter or that he had stolen it, that I had let him do this and that I was a bad parent,” she said. “I want to put the record straight because none of that is true. To read comments online that my son deserved to die, that the accident was karma and served him and me right was awful.
“If you watch the video and see what me and my family were going through at the time and then think about the nasty comments people were making online, it was horrific. People don’t think before they post comments, they have no idea what is actually going on. I ask all the people who made those comments to watch the video.”
Greater Manchester Police have confirmed that no arrests have been made in relation to the incident. They are urging anyone who may have witnessed the collision or has any CCTV, dashcam, or doorbell footage to come forward.