A heartbroken family whose 26-year-old son died following a “harrowing” accident in Turkey is pleading with other families.
Lisa and Gavin Steward’s son Matthew Steward, from Harwich, Essex, died in the early hours of May 14 2024 after the quad bike he was travelling on with his friend Cory Dove, 26, collided with another vehicle in Turkey.
His family are now warning others not to use the vehicles as they said they are “dangerous” and “not worth it”.
Matthew had travelled out to Fethiye on May 12 2024 for a family holiday with his 24-year-old partner Dannielle Rose, a carer, along with her daughter from a previous relationship, Ruby, six, and their son Roman, three.
On the night of May 13, Dannielle said Matthew and Cory left the hotel to go to a shop on the quad bike – and hours later, she was told the news that they had died and she and Cory’s partner needed to identify the bodies.
Matthew’s family have been searching for answers.
Lisa, 42, Gavin, 44, and Dannielle are now fundraising to cover any legal and other expenses, such as for a solicitor and translator, and to purchase a headstone for Matthew.
They are urging other families not to use quad bikes as “no one needs this heartache”.
Speaking about the impact of his death, Lisa said: “Dannielle can’t go home at the moment, she’s finding it very difficult to go home, and we’re just heartbroken, absolutely heartbroken. Absolutely devastated.
“He’s got a twin brother, James, and they did everything together. They didn’t have many friends, they had each other, and he’s just said: ‘My life’s done, my other half is gone.’
“We just have to keep going for him and the children. It’s just heartbreaking.”
Lisa, Gavin, and Dannielle described Matthew, who worked at a local electrical manufacturing company, as charitable, outdoorsy, caring and shy.
His favourite hobby was metal detecting – which inspired the name for his and Dannielle’s son Roman – and he enjoyed “spending days on the beach with the children” and going camping and fishing in his spare time.
The “hands-on dad” met Dannielle at school and they remained friends for years, each going on to have separate…
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