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 relationships and children, but she said their relationship was “meant to be”.
As a Christmas present to the couple, Dannielle’s parents booked them a family holiday to Turkey – and the pair flew out on May 12 2024, along with Ruby and Roman, excited for the 10-day trip ahead.
Dannielle said Matthew’s friend Cory joined them with his family, and he hired a quad bike after they arrived in Turkey as he had previous experience driving the vehicles.
Late in the evening on May 13, Dannielle said Matthew and Cory, who was driving the quad bike, decided to take a trip out on the vehicle to a shop – and this led to the fatal collision, which Gavin described as a “total disaster”.
Dannielle said: “Around midnight, these ladies came and knocked on the door and just told me that there had been an accident, they’re both dead.
“The Jet2 rep said: ‘I need you to come with me now to identify the bodies, you need to get dressed’… and she said if you don’t come and identify the bodies, then the army will come and forcefully remove you.
“Then they got us in the car and off we went.”
On May 15, Dannielle’s parents flew out to Turkey and they arranged to lay flowers at the scene of the collision – but Dannielle said they were taken to “the wrong crash site”.
“They laid flowers where they were told the crash had taken place, so as far as Dannielle knew, she was laying flowers at the resting place,” Lisa said.
Lisa and Gavin then flew out to Turkey on May 16, determined to get “answers”, and they asked to visit the scene as well – but after arriving at the location, they thought, “this is not right”.
They said there was no evidence of a crash, but with the help of their friend who lived in Turkey and could translate for them, it was discovered the location was “further up” – and they later laid fresh flowers there.
“We go further up where we evidently find blood, police tape, blood splattered all up the rocks and on the road, pieces of the bus, pieces of the quad bike, and personal items,” Lisa said.
“I managed to find two separate pools of blood and I later went to a florist and got some fresh flowers and laid them there.”
Lisa and Gavin said they were initially told Cory and Matthew had collided with a bus, but later found out, with the help of their friend again, that it was more specifically “a hotel bus”.
They said they were unable to see their son in Fethiye, as the body had been taken to Antalya, but were told a post-mortem examination revealed the cause of death as intracerebral haemorrhage.
After Matthew’s body was flown to Stansted Airport on May 21, the parents said they were then told, following another post-mortem examination, that the cause of death was in fact “multiple traumatic injuries”.
They said they are also yet to receive his passport.
Lisa said: “It has been an absolutely traumatic time as it is, and you can imagine how we’re feeling.
“It has been lie, after lie, after lie. We’ve had four weeks of hell, absolute hell.”
An inquest into the deaths of Matthew Steward and Cory Dove was opened and adjourned at Essex Coroner’s Court on June 12 2024.
According to the BBC, the hearing heard the friends, from Harwich, were involved in a road traffic collision with another vehicle in the early hours of May 14 2024, and they died from their wounds.
The senior coroner for Essex, Lincoln Brookes, explained a full hearing would be held in February 2025, the BBC said.
Since the collision, the family and Dannielle have set up a fundraiser to cover legal and other expenses that they will be billed for, which they estimate to be in the thousands, and to purchase a headstone for Matthew.
They hope to put the headstone down at Dovercourt Cemetery, in Harwich, so family, friends and the children can visit and pay their respects.
Along with releasing lanterns in memory of Matthew, they are planning his funeral for July 4, which will be a “celebration” of his life, and they said spending time together as a family is helping them cope with grief.
Lisa said: “As a mother, you’re supposed to protect your children and I can’t do that for him – that’s the hardest thing for me, not being able to make it better for him, there’s nothing I can do.
“Families out there need to realise quad biking is classed as an extreme sport, so you’re not insured.
“These quad bikes are dangerous. Don’t go on them, no one needs this heartache. It’s not worth it.”
A spokesperson for Jet2 said: “Our teams provided full support and assistance to Ms Rose following this tragic incident, and we continue to offer our heartfelt sympathies to all of the families and friends of the deceased.
“Following the incident, our teams were present to assist with translating instructions on behalf of the Turkish authorities.”
To find out more about the fundraiser, visit GoFundMe.
