The inquest into the death of a dad killed nearly three years ago has been delayed amid an ongoing police investigation. Tony Sheil, originally from St Helens, was driving on the A75 in southwest Scotland on the evening of November 24 2023 when a lorry crashed into his van.
Tony was pronounced dead at the scene, which was just minutes away from his home, while the lorry driver was uninjured. Tony and his fiancée Michaela Yates had two daughters, Samantha Jane, 20 and Natasha, 16, and lived in Haydock for 18 years before moving to rural Scotland in 2022.
Inquest Adjourned Again
The inquest into Tony's death originally opened on January 10, 2025 and adjourned due to a police investigation into the crash. Cheshire Coroners Court heard on Wednesday, September 30 that the case has once again been suspended because of the investigation. It was adjourned for a further three months and is due to be reviewed on December 17.
The ECHO has approached Police Scotland for comment.
Family's Call for Road Improvements
Speaking to the ECHO in 2024, Michaela described Tony as the type of man who "would drop anything to go out and help anyone". She said: "He loved spending time with his children and he loved his dogs."
Tony's family have called for urgent improvements to the road where he died. They have pushed for more speed cameras, for white lines to be repainted on the road and for more cat's eyes to be installed. According to Transport Scotland, between 2016 and 2021 there were 564 casualties on the A75 and A77 Euroroutes.
Michaela said: "I don’t want any other family to go through what me and my daughters are still going through."
Samantha-Jane and Natasha said: "We want something positive to come out of dad's death. We will fight for this road to get the changes it desperately needs. Even if we stop just one family from getting the same news we received that night."
"He never got to say goodbye to us and we never got to say goodbye to him. That will always hurt. Our lives will never be same again. It always been the four of us now it just three."
