Losing son in moped crash 'a living hell' for St Asaph family

A mother whose 17-year-old son was killed in a moped crash has described his death as a "living hell".

Ethan Ross, a football fan and A-level student, died following an incident with a car on the A55 road near St Asaph in Denbighshire in September.

Helen Ross said remembering the loss of her son was a "constant nightmare" and fundraising has helped the family cope.

North Wales Police has said the investigation into the crash which killed Ethan was ongoing.

Ethan's mother said she last saw her son when he left their house to start a double shift at a restaurant.

He told her "see you later, I love you" before riding off on his moped.

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After work he planned to meet his girlfriend of four years Mya - and headed back home on his moped, on the A55 as he had done many times before.

'Perfect son'

Ethan "gave a gift of life to others" as his organs were donated

But on this occasion Ethan's moped was in a crash with a Vauxhall Astra.

He suffered brain injuries and was taken to the nearby Glan Clwyd Hospital - before being flown to a specialist trauma centre at Royal Stoke University Hospital, where he died two days later.

His parents said Ethan, who was doing maths and physics at A-level and wanted to study aerospace engineering at university, had all his life planned out.

The Chelsea Football Club fan, described by his mother as a "perfect son", would have turned 18 last month.

Football fan Ethan has been described as a "perfect son" by his mother Helen

On that day, friends and family remembered Ethan by the river in St Asaph, lighting fireworks with his ashes.

"Ethan was all about space and rockets, we were going to send him up as high as we could," said Mrs Ross.

She described the evening as "lovely" - but also the hardest day as "we should have been celebrating with Ethan. He should have been there".

'Fundraising helping us cope'

Helen and Paul Ross say fundraising has helped them cope with the loss of Ethan

The family have started a fundraising event in memory of their son - which they said has helped them cope - and Move a Marathon for Ethan will be a weekend event in June.

The family are also encouraging activities such as baking, sewing or gardening.

His uncle Glen will then lead a team to cycle from Stamford Bridge, the home of Chelsea, to St Asaph - a 240-mile (386 km) journey in two days.

The family's initial target of £10,000 has been surpassed with a total of £23,000 raised so far.

Money raised will go to charities Wales Air Ambulance and Young Minds.

Ethan was studying A-Levels and wanted to study aerospace engineering in university

Ethan's organs were donated after his death and his mother said her son "has helped so many" lives.

The family has been contacted by the woman who has received Ethan's kidney after waiting for years for a transplant.

"It just means we can tell everybody about Ethan and keep him alive," said Mrs Ross. "He will never be forgotten".

The family has described the community support as "amazing" and have been overwhelmed by the "unbelievable generosity of people".

Father Paul said the community reaction had been "something special" and "given him a focus, passion and drive to move forward' for the family".