Petition to change road after father’s death on A75 nears goal
It was launched by a 20-year-old woman after her dad died, and seeks to make Transport Scotland make safety changes to the A75, near Cumbria.
The stated goal of 1,500 signatures has nearly been reached, sitting at 1,375 at the time of reporting.
Tony with his daughters Samantha-Jane and Natasha (Image: Michaela Yates)
Tony Sheil, 51, died after his van collided with a lorry on the unlit A75 ‘Euroroute’ in Wigtownshire, on Friday, November 24, 2023.
A dad-of-two from St Helens, he had moved up to Scotland with his family in 2022 as he dreamed of retiring there and had plans to renovate the family home before his life was cut short.
Tony and the family had moved up to Scotland to fulfil his retirement dream (Image: Michaela Yates)
As Tony’s family was unable to say goodbye to the man who “would drop anything he was doing to help others”, his daughter Samantha-Jane launched an online petition in his memory, to try and improve road safety on the A75 and across the UK.
Michaela and Tony got engaged when they were 18 (Image: Michaela Yates)
The A75 has sadly been a hotspot for major road traffic incidents in recent years.
Melissa Delaney, a nurse at Cumberland Infirmary, was one of two casualties on the A75 earlier this year.
She was involved in a three-car crash, which also saw the driver of a van pronounced dead at the scene.
The petition describes proposed changes to the road, such as replacing and increasing the number of cat’s eyes, repainting road markings, and making curves bigger for lorries.
It explains how Mr Sheil was pronounced dead at the scene, meaning the family didn’t have the chance to ‘say goodbye’.
“We couldn’t even say goodbye to him at his funeral because of how badly burned he was.
“No family deserves to go through this pain and hurt,” it states.
“We are asking people to sign this petition to help us bring changes to the A75.
“Some of these changes are speed cameras, cat’s eyes, re-painting lines, filling in potholes and making bends wider for the HGV where possible.
“We as a family want Dad’s death to bring something positive and for his memory to live on.”
For more information, and to sign the petition, click here.[1]