The son who gave us endless pride
Tributes to teens killed in crash on Bolivia salt flat
THE families of two British teenagers killed in a car crash on a gap year in South America have paid tribute to the ‘ exceptional and kind’ pair.
Freddie McLennan and Joe Atkins, both 19, died when their Toyota Land Cruiser flipped over in Bolivia on the world’s largest salt flat.
They were former pupils at Cranbrook School, a grammar in Kent, where they had excelled at their A-levels. Last night Joe’s family said in a statement: ‘Joey was the son that gave us endless pride, the brother that brought laughter to our home and the friend that you’d always want by your side.’
Freddie’s parents described their son as an ‘exceptional young man’ who brought joy and love into their lives.
The pair’s friend Callum Fraser, 19, also a former Cranbrook pupil, was injured in the crash on the Salar de Uyuni, in which the Bolivian driver died.
Callum’s parents have flown to La Paz, where he is being treated at a private hospital. A nurse at Clínica Cemes said: ‘He is stable, he is fine, but psychologically he is bad, he is really young. He isn’t able to travel right now as we can’t even move him on the bed.’
Joe’s family said he had been due home from the ‘trip of a lifetime’ this week. He had been due to go to Bristol University and wanted to be an engineer.
He loved walking the family’s dogs, they said, adding: ‘Joe had a character brimming with kindness and humility. Quietly intuitive, he always knew the right thing to say. In a recent call, he was clearly so elated with the adventure he’d been sharing with his best friends.’
Freddie, a cross-country runner who competed in national championships, had been due to study economics and politics at Leeds University.
His family said: ‘Freddie was an exceptional young man. He was as caring as he was fun to be with. He was thoroughly enjoying his opportunity to travel and experience new parts of the world, before preparing for the next stage in his life. He brought a joy and love to us, which we will always remember, but miss greatly.’
Cranbrook headmaster Dr John Weeds said the school was ‘deeply saddened’ by the tragedy. ‘Freddie was a most likeable young man who was a true leader in the making,’ he said.
‘Joe was an equally popular student who was a scholar in the making.’
Bolivian officials say the 4x4 the three friends were in was speeding when it skidded and flipped over on the salt flat, the area’s main tourist destination.