A 26-year-old Liverpool fan from County Durham has died after a hit-and-run incident in Florida. Brandon Grimes, from Seaham, was struck by a vehicle that fled the scene on Friday, September 25.
Tributes from family and partner
Brandon, a devoted Reds supporter and FA referee, was on holiday at the time, according to his family and partner. His loved ones issued a heartfelt tribute while launching a fundraising appeal to bring his body home.
The tribute read: "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."
His family 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."
Search for answers
Given the circumstances and the fact the incident occurred on American soil, those involved, including Brandon's partner David Jackson, are attempting to piece together what happened. Very little information has reportedly been passed on to them or to UK authorities by their American counterparts.
David, 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
Speaking about Brandon as an individual, David said: "He was a referee for the FA, and he loved football, Liverpool FC and England especially. We had only been together since February, but we were making a lot of plans, and the future we were talking about won't happen now."
David and the family have created a GoFundMe page to help with the costs of bringing Brandon home, which had raised £9,215 at the time of writing. The page has a £16,000 target, described as a rough estimate of total expenditure, with any additional funds going towards his funeral.
He added: "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."
