THE parents of a young dad whose lives were ‘destroyed’ after his sudden death are rallying to raise funds in his memory.
Aaron Smith, from Hoyland, died while travelling on his motorcycle on Park Road, Worsbrough, on November 22, 2023.
Raymond Dagnall, 80, pleaded guilty to causing death by careless driving last year and was subsequently jailed for 12 months at Sheffield Crown Court.
However, the Court of Appeal replaced the original sentence with an eight-month term, suspended for 18 months.
Dagnall is still disqualified from driving and has handed in his licence, vowing to never drive again.
Aaron’s parents, Andrew and Jayne, were devastated at the loss of their only son, who died at just 25 years old - and were left appalled by Dagnall’s reduced sentence, believing he got away with a ‘slap on the wrist’.
Aaron left behind an eight-year-old son, Oliver.
Andrew described his son as a ‘very popular young man’ who was ‘ready to help anyone at the drop of a hat’ - and has set out to honour his memory.
Having kept their son’s ashes at home, the couple realised that there was nowhere for Aaron’s friends and family to pay their respects.
Facing severe health conditions and financial hardship, Aaron’s parents are turning to the support of locals to help commemorate their unimaginable loss.
The scale of the memorial depends on how much the pair can raise.
A lamppost hanging basket can be sponsored from £150, all the way up to a memorial stone for around £5,000.
Andrew detailed how his and Jayne’s lives have been turned upside down since their son’s unexpected death.
He said: “My wife’s health has been hit badly by AJ’s death.
“There is video of the driver pulling out without looking and not giving way.
“We watched the appeal on a video link supplied by witness services, so we knew the minute the gavel fell.
“Apparently he is full of remorse and gave his licence up straight away, so because he is sorry he got a slap on the wrists.
“There seems to be very little thought for the victim’s family other than the court saying how sorry they are.
“Our son’s death completely destroyed us.
“He was only 25 and our lives ended.
“It was especially difficult the manner in which he died, with the driver facing no real consequences for what he did.
“There’s been no justice, it’s very hard to talk about.
“He had a hell of a lot of friends - there were over 100 motorbikes at his funeral.
“We kept his ashes at home, so there’s no gravestone.
“It’d be nice to have a place to think about him and talk to him and we can’t do that at the minute.
“It would mean the world and it would show that people haven’t forgotten him.”
