The family of a British man killed in a hit-and-run in Florida has described him as a 'gentle' and 'bright' soul as they desperately try to bring his body home. Brandon Grimes, 26, from Seaham, died on Friday, September 25, after being struck by a car that fled the scene while he was on holiday in the US state.
Family tribute to Brandon
In a statement, his 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."
They added: "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. 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."
Questions remain for partner
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 to bring him home
David described Brandon as an FA referee who loved football, particularly Liverpool FC and England. He noted they had been together since February and had been making plans for the future.
David said: "He has a huge family who have all been destroyed by this, with loads of siblings, and he loved them, his nieces, nana and grandad, and mam and step-dad so much. We are desperate to bring him back, and we are trying to find an international funeral director to help, but the lack of communication we have had from American makes this very difficult."
A GoFundMe page set up to cover the costs of bringing Brandon home has raised £9,215 at the time of writing, against a £16,000 target. David said this is a rough estimate of the cost, with any further money 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."
