The family of Brandon Grimes, a 26-year-old British man, have identified him as the victim of a hit-and-run in Florida on September 25. They have launched an appeal to bring his body back to the UK.
Brandon was on holiday in America when a car struck him and fled the scene, according to his family and partner, as reported by Chronicle Live.
Family's tribute to Brandon
In a tribute, the family said: "It is with a broken heart that we share the passing of our beloved, beautiful, cherished boy Brandon. He was tragically taken from us on the 25th of September at the age of only 26. Brandon is deeply loved by us all and will be missed beyond words, and our lives will never be the same without him. Brandon was a gentle, bright, funny, and wonderful soul who brought so much light, love, and joy to everyone who knew him, he truly was the life and soul of the party."
They added: "Our family is completely devastated, and the pain of losing him this way is something no family should ever have to bear. Our lives have been shattered, and we are completely lost without him."
Partner's account
Brandon's partner, David Jackson, 41, said: "We have a lot more questions than we do answers at the moment, we don't fully know what happened, or why, it just doesn't make any sense. We are trying to get all of the information and get justice for him, while his entire family are grieving at the same time."
He added: "Looking back, it was clear that something wasn't right, he was trying to ring me and his friend Tom who he was there with, and I got back just 15 minutes later, but I have since found out that he was already gone by then. We are all absolutely devastated, and the most frustrating part is that we don't know the whole story."
Fundraising appeal
David and the family have set up a GoFundMe page to help cover the costs of bringing Brandon home. The page had raised £9,215 at the time of writing, with a £16,000 target, which David describes as a rough estimate of the total expense. Any surplus funds will go towards his funeral.
David said: "The financial costs of bringing someone home can be overwhelming, and we want to ensure our Brandon gets the journey home he deserves. If you are in a position to donate, no matter how small, we are endlessly grateful, and if you can't donate, simply sharing this page, keeping Brandon in your thoughts, and helping us fight for him means more to us than words can say."
