The devastated friends of a man killed in a moped crash in Turkey on day one of his first foreign holiday are fundraising to fly his body home.
Kyle Barrow, 27, and best pal Cal Junior, 24, arrived in the resort of Antalya early on Wednesday and hired mopeds ahead of a “day of adventures” jetskiing and parasailing at the beach.
Hopping back on their scooters at lunchtime, they were moments from their hotel when Cal realised his pal was no longer behind him – and turned to see he had crashed and was lying in the road.
Speaking from Turkey, Cal said: “Kyle’s moped was on the side of the road.
“I grabbed him, screaming, taking him on to the grass, as there were still cars going past. I held him, I was kissing him, screaming at him, with blood all over me.
“He was looking at me and smiling and then he went cold and I just knew.”
Kyle was declared dead in hospital. Cal did not see the accident and does not know if police are involved at this stage. And after “screaming” and struggling to breathe when told his friend had died, Cal faced a further blow when it came to getting his body home.
The friends did not buy insurance until they got to Turkey, having forgotten beforehand, and Cal learned the £25-a-head policy did not cover repatriation costs. Now, he and salesman Kyle’s devastated girlfriend Hannah Marie, 25, are crowdfunding to raise £35,000 to fly him home and pay for his funeral.
Hannah – a hotel worker who started dating Kyle shortly after meeting him aged 16 and lived with him in Oldham, Gtr Manchester – got the terrible news when Cal phoned from the hospital.
She said: “I was freaking out. Kyle is my whole life, we did everything together. I don’t know what I will do with myself. I just want him home with me.”
Cal, a TikTok influencer also from Oldham, added: “Kyle had never been abroad and we were so excited. I don’t think he’d been happier.
“Kyle always wanted to go parasailing, so I said ‘Let’s do it’ and it was amazing. We did jetskiing, too, and he was laughing his head off. He was just in his element.
“Kyle had the biggest heart in the world and I just want to give him a good send-off now. He needs to be home with everyone, I owe it to him.”
The Foreign Office said: “We are assisting the family of a British man who died in Turkey and are in contact with the local authorities.”
To support the fundraiser for Kyle’s repatriation, visit gofundme.com/f/please-help-us-get-kyle-home
