Police in the north have a new piece of equipment to add to their life-saving capabilities, thanks to the generosity of the family of a tragic teenager killed in a crash in 2016.
Keiran McKandie was 16 when he lost his life after a collision involving his bicycle and a car on the B9010 near Craigend in Moray.
His parents Gordon and Sandra have campaigned tirelessly to raise funds in his honour and ensure more vital defibrillators are available to help increase the chances of survival for patients who find themselves in similar situations to Keiran.
Entourage of mountain bikers turn out for tragic teen’s funeral
Six defibrillators will now be kept in road policing vehicles based in Dingwall and Fort William, covering the whole of the north patch.
Mrs McKandie said: “It’s been a long, hard struggle to get to this point. At one point we didn’t think we would get here. So to achieve rolling this out into a rural area to give people a better chance of survival then that is allowing Keiran again to contribute and do something positive which is what he is all about.”
It follows the successful deployment of defibrillators in Police Scotland’s north-east division where they have been used 39 times, with one instance proving vital in saving a 52-year-old man’s life.
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Mrs McKandie added: “It’s very emotional to think Keiran has allowed that person to be saved. It’s really tough to go through this every day and for Keiran not to be here so for him to have done that and allowed for that man to live his life – there are no real words to describe it.”
Road Policing Chief Inspector Stewart Mackie said: “We are extremely grateful to the McKandie family for their generous donation of this life-saving equipment which will now be carried in road policing vehicles in the Highlands and Islands.
“We can sometimes be the first on scene at an incident and it better equips our officers to deal with those incidents until such times as the ambulance service or other emergency services arrive.”
All of the defibrillators bear the slogan “Keiran’s legacy – in honour of Keiran McKandie (KDAWG)” and have been donated by the charity started in memory of the Moray teen, Keiran’s Legacy.
