Biking family begin installing defibrillators in memory of son tragically killed in riding accident

The family of a motorcyclist killed during a traffic accident have begun installing life-saving defibrillators at popular biking haunts, in an attempt to help save the lives of riders caught-up in any future collisions. 

Ben Flitcroft, 27, from Bolton, Greater Manchester, was out riding his motorcycle with his father on July 1, when an accident took his life on a remote road near Hellifield, Skipton, north Yorkshire.

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Ben’s girlfriend Gabriella Luby firmly believes that a defibrillator could have helped Ben at the scene of the accident and so both her own and Ben’s family set-up the Ben Foundation in his memory (now known as Biker Emergency Now) with the aim of raising £15,000 for the instillation of the equipment in locations popular with motorcyclists.

Fund raising activities have included a sponsored 50-mile cycle ride from Ben’s home to the crash site, which saw the two families raise in excess of £5000 alone.  

After the ride, MCN spoke to Gabriella’s father Kurt Luby who said: “Ben was my daughter’s boyfriend and I have known Ben all his life, as his dad used to come to our house when he was very little and we would spend all night in the garage tinkering with bikes.

“That’s where he met my daughter Gabriella and so we have all known each other a very long time. Ben and Gabriella were well on the way to the next chapter of their lives, as they were saving up for a deposit for a house,” Kurt said. 

After a concerted effort from both families and the local community, the first defibrillator has been installed at Route 59 café on the outskirts of Skipton, roughly four or five miles away from the scene of Ben’s accident.

This first unit – an iPAD defibrillator – was donated by a local dental practice and the fitting of the devices is being carried out by a local tradesman and close friend of Ben. 

“It’s great to put something into action,” Kurt added. “Finding the locations is the hard part and we don’t want to put a defibrillator where there is another close by. We want them to be evenly spread out.

“Ben was nuts on bikes and had a PW50 from three or four-years-old, however unfortunately ended up dying for it. These young kids buy these super-fast bikes and they just need to learn how to ride them properly. This first unit has been a long-time coming.” 

Sitting at £11,430, the group are now 76% of the way towards their target figure of £15,000. If you would like to donate, then you can visit their Just Giving page here.

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