Dad looks to raise awareness of perils of cellphone after son dies
Tom Walli remembers his son, Brandon, as a special kid: one who was often in trouble, but had a vibrant personality and a talent for music. “Any time he got in trouble … he’d play the piano and soften me up. He was a chip off the old block.”
He also remembers that his son seemed to always be looking at his phone — a habit Tom believes may have been partially responsible for Brandon’s death.
Brandon, 23, was hit while walking along Highway 6 near Carlisle Road in October 2016. He had been on his way to meet friends at the Tim Hortons where he worked when he was struck and killed by a pickup truck.
“I believe he was actually on that damn phone, because that’s all he had in his face was that damn phone,” Tom told the Flamborough Review at the time.
This weekend, Tom and his employer Geotab are hoping to stop others from making the same mistake, hosting a free concert and information event called Phones Down, Eyes Up. Music was a shared passion between Tom and Brandon; both played piano and guitar.
The event will be held on Sunday in Burlington’s Central Park from 1 to 4 p.m. It will feature Tom’s classic rock cover band, Form One; speakers including Burlington MPP Jane McKenna and members of the OPP; family activities; and food trucks.
“All the guys in the band knew Brandon well,” he said Thursday, adding that many of Brandon’s family and friends will be at the concert, including his mom, Eileen Doyle, and his sisters Robyn and Paige.
There are also prizes: Leafs tickets, a patio set and a remote car starter, said Geotab’s Kelly Hall.
“This event will serve as the kickoff to Geotab’s wider Responsibility on Both Sides of the Wheel campaign,” said Hall. “As a technology company, we feel that being connected is great, (but) we also want to raise awareness of the importance of putting your phone down and paying attention to your surroundings — both behind the wheel and in front of it.”