‘Amazing’ dad named as one in every of 4 killed in crash as heartbroken sister discovered in textual content

Tributes have been paid to Craig Brady, 26, who was one of four men killed in a fatal crash on Liverpool Road, Huyton, in the early hours of Friday morning as one passenger is currently in hospital

A devastated sister has paid a touching tribute to her younger brother, whom she described as possessing the “biggest heart of gold”, after she tragically found out about hi passing in a text message. Craig Brady was one of four men who tragically lost their lives following a horrific crash on Liverpool Road, Huyton, on Friday (July 24).

Merseyside Police were alerted just before 2am to reports that a black Cupra had veered off the road after colliding with a lamppost. By Friday afternoon, police confirmed that four men, all in their 20s, had been declared dead at the scene.

A 27-year-old man, a passenger in the car, was rushed to hospital where he remains in a stable condition. Among those who tragically perished was 26 year old father of two, Craig Brady from Dovecot.

Craig’s elder sister, Kelsey Brady, 29, spoke to the Liverpool Echo to honour her brother, who she fondly referred to as her “best friend”.

Kelsey, herself a mother of two, told the ECHO: “He was my best mate. He was two years younger than me. It was just me and him growing up until the rest were born, so I don’t know life without him.”

Craig was one of eight siblings in a tight-knit family who communicated with each other daily. Kelsey admitted that the reality of losing her brother still hadn’t hit home after police arrived at her parents’ house while they were away on holiday.

Her youngest brother, Connor, 18, received the heartbreaking knock on the door before relaying the news to Kelsey.

She said: “He rang me straight away. I’d literally just woken up. I didn’t answer the first phone call because I wasn’t fully awake. Then he sent me a message saying, ‘Craig has passed’.

“I didn’t think death at all. I thought, ‘What does he mean he’s passed?’, it didn’t register. I rang him back and he told me Craig had died and I said, ‘Connor, shut up. What are you saying that for?’ then he put me onto the family liaison officer on the phone. I just went numb. I was in disbelief. I didn’t know what to believe. I still don’t think it’s real now.”

Describing Craig, Kelsey said he was “one of the kindest and gentlest people you could ever meet”. She said: “He was amazing. He was a big man about 6ft 2 but he was just like a teddy bear. He really was the most loving person ever.”

Craig leaves behind his partner Ellie Jones, 28, and their two young children, five year old Phoebe and Archie, three.

Kelsey said: “His girlfriend is absolutely distraught. I think she still thinks he’s coming home. She doesn’t believe it.”

Known for his passion for football, boxing and music, Craig had recently begun attending the gym and was planning for the future.

As the eldest sister, Kelsey said she had always cared for Craig, supporting him throughout life, but she said the affection between them was mutual.

She added: “He wasn’t shy to tell you he loved you. He’d make sure you knew. We’re a close knit family the type where we speak to each other every day. I wake up most mornings and he’d sent me a voice note of him singing down the phone. I’ve just been listening to the one he sent me two days ago and thinking, ‘I’m going to miss this’.”

Kelsey shared that Craig was loved by everyone who encountered him, and that strangers would often approach their mum to compliment her on what a wonderful son she had raised.

She said: “He’d do anything for anyone, especially his family. He had the biggest heart of gold I’ve ever known in a man. He wasn’t a normal man. He was special.”

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