Simple bit of kit may have saved our son
Parents call for defibrillators in all response vehicles
THE parents of a teenage boy killed in a road accident have spoken of their loss as they called for improvements to be made to emergency service responses.
Keiran McKandie, 16, died in March after he was involved in an accident with a car while riding his bike on the outskirts of Elgin.
It took an ambulance almost half an hour to reach him – nearly four times the average response time for the region. Sadly, he died at the scene. His parents, Gordon and Sandra, believe his chances of survival would have been increased if emergency services all carried life-saving equipment on board.
They are now campaigning to have defibrillators installed in police fast response cars and are pushing for improvements to how emergency services co-ordinate their response.
Sandra said: “Sometimes police fast response cars get to an accident before an ambulance does.
“They are trained in basic life support but have never had defibrillators.
“Having that equipment there gives people the maximum chance of survival.”
The couple said their son’s chance of survival could also have been increased if the fire brigade had been dispatched to the accident as crews carry life-saving kit such as defibrillators and oxygen.
Sandra, 47, works as a nurse and resuscitation officer, making her acutely aware of what could have been done.
She said: “The advantage and disadvantage is you know exactly what should have been there and what should have happened.”
The couple have already raised enough funds through charity events to buy defibrillators for every fast response police car in the Grampian area.
However, they hope that the same approach can be rolled out across Scotland.
They are also waiting on the outcome of a review by the Scottish Ambulance Service into why there was a delay in reaching their son.
Keiran, who was a fifth-year pupil at Elgin Academy, was a keen mountain biker and had been planning to go on holiday in July to Morzine in France – described as a Mecca for mountain bikers.
It would have been the first time he’d gone on holiday without his parents. He also planned to study engineering after he finished school and was hoping to go to Canada next summer to work at Whistler Mountain Bike Park in British Columbia. Sandra said she and Gordon would never get over the loss of their only child.
Sandra said: “Keiran loved sport and was really fit and active.
“People say they remember his smile because he smiled all the time.
“We have lost our lives really. He was our reason for living.
“He was just a good lad and we were very privileged to have him as our son.”
Gordon, 53, said: “Keiran was my best friend as well as my son.
“Not having my best buddy and pal in my life anymore is unbearable and impossible to live with. Every day gets harder and harder.”
Keiran loved to build mountain bike trails. To honour his memory, his mum and dad are in discussions with the Forestry Commission in the hope they can build a permanent trail in his name.
MSP Richard Lochhead, who has been working closely with the couple, said: “The last few months have been incredibly difficult for Sandra and Gordon and that makes what they have achieved all the more remarkable.
“In particular, the fitting of defibrillators to police vehicles will be a very fitting and lasting tribute to the memory of Keiran who was much loved and a very popular boy.”