The family of a Scot who was a caddy to some of the world’s biggest golf stars have welcomed the jail sentence given to a drunk driver who knocked down and killed him in the US.
Neil Fyfe, 28, was fulfilling a dream by working with the likes of Keegan Bradley, Dustin Johnson and Luke Donald, when he was mowed down last May.
The Aberdeen-born sportsman was cycling home from his first day at Sebonack Golf Club at Southampton on Long Island in New York state when he was hit by a 4×4 vehicle.
The driver Jesse Steudte, a 22-year-old student, admitted manslaughter for recklessly causing Mr Fyfe’s death. He also admitted further charges of vehicular manslaughter and driving while intoxicated.
Steudte has now been jailed for a minimum of four years after a hearing at Suffolk County Court. He could serve up to 12 years depending on his behaviour in prison.
Mr Fyfe’s family said they had been left facing a “life sentence” but were glad justice had been done.
In a statement issued on behalf of Mr Fyfe’s fiancee Jennifer Mouncey, 26, his parents Stephen and Jennifer and sister Angela, the family added: “On May 2nd 2014, our lives changed forever when we received the devastating news that Neil had been killed.
“Neil was a loving son, brother, nephew, cousin, partner and friend to many and is sorely missed by all as was proved by the 400 plus people who attended his funeral.
“As a family, we have to get on with our lives without him; on the outside we can smile, laugh and seem normal but inside, we are broken. Unless you have been in this situation, you can never understand the heartache.
“Neil loved America, the people, their positivity to life and the lifestyle there. He had a bright future in the world of golf caddying and he mixed easily with some of the top stars of the game and relished the challenges presented to him. In Neil’s own words, he was ‘living the dream’.”
The family also thanked all of the golfers and caddies who had worked with Mr Fyfe, and all of his friends in the north-east who had continued to support them through the hardest of times.
The court heard Steudte drove through a stop light at a crossroads while driving a 1990 Jeep before he hit Mr Fyfe, who was cycling across a pedestrian crossing.
Witnesses tried to resuscitate him at the scene before paramedics arrived. He was transferred to Southampton Hospital by Southampton Volunteer Ambulance service but died shortly after arrival.