The family of a tragic teenager who died in a road accident have bought the first life-saving defibrillators to be used in road policing vehicles in Scotland to help save lives.
Keiran McKandie, 16, died after his mountain bike collided with a car on a rural road on the outskirts of Elgin.
It later emerged that it took an ambulance 27 minutes to reach the seriously injured schoolboy – nearly four times the Grampian region average for responding to emergencies.
Police officers were first on the scene but did not have the vital equipment to resuscitate the teenager.
Since his death, his parents, Gordon and Sandra, who live in Miltonduff in Moray, have been fundraising to buy life-saving devices for police vehicles as a legacy for their beloved son.
Yesterday the couple handed over 10 defibrillators to Police Scotland and the first six officers were trained how to use them at their local police station in Elgin.
Sandra McKandie, 47, said the family had helped raise just over 16,000 pounds to buy the kits at an auction held at a village hall on June 25.
She said: “We did really well but it’s amazing how people come forward in situations like this and you never expect it.
“It’s very important because it saves lives and more importantly than that it’s about Keiran. It’s not about Gordon and Sandra, it’s about Keiran and maintaining a legacy for him, ensuring that he stays alive through this process so that people don’t forget out him.
“I’m very passionate about that, to make sure that he’s not forgotten about and to make sure he’s not another statistic and that he’s actually doing something even though he’s not physically here.
“We’ve started in Grampian but we’re hoping with fundraising and with the government on board that we actually roll this out across Scotland so that he’s known and that his sacrifice ends up saving people’s lives.”
Sandra said it was important for the couple to create a legacy for their son and to help other people in the process.
She said they did not want their only child to be be forgotten and hoped to create something that he would be proud of them doing in his name.
Some of the money raised through their events will be used to build a downhill biking track in the local area for children.
She described the launch of the defibrillators yesterday as being a “bittersweet” moment for the couple.
She said: “It’s bittersweet in lots of ways. It’s fantastic that we’re doing something positive but it’s very tragic that somebody so young has actually had to lose their life for this to happen.
“There’s always the ifs and why’s everyday and nothing will ever compensate for Keiran actually not being here, nothing.
“We are a rural community, we’re spaced out geographically so it’s really important that people going out to the scene such as the police who are often there first waiting for an ambulance to come, will at least be able to utilise this kit.
“Sometimes it won’t be required but at least they’ve got it and it will maximise a person’s chances of survival.
“In Keiran’s situation he had to wait half an hour for an ambulance so it’s a long time for these guys without any sign of help coming so it’s really important.”
The couple have also planned a music event as a fundraiser at their local Mansfield Hotel in Elgin to raise money to but more defibrillators.
