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Sister's bid for safer road after brother killed

Family Handout Harry ChapmanFamily Handout
Harry died after his Ford Fiesta was hit by Scott Gorey's Jaguar XF on Aldridge Road

The sister of a young man who was killed by a drink driver has launched a petition in his memory to make the road where he died safer.

Scott Gorey was driving his Jaguar XF at 97mph in a 30mph zone on Aldridge Road, Streetly, when he hit Harry Chapman's Ford Fiesta on 7 October 2022.

Harry's sister Lola said she started the campaign because she was fed up nothing had been done to improve the road since the tragedy.

She said she was overwhelmed to discover more than 1,100 people had signed the petition in just a couple of days.

"People will start taking me seriously now, it feels like I'm getting somewhere," she said.

Lola wants more visibility on Aldridge Road along with mirrors, better lighting, speed cameras and speed signage.

Family Handout Lola and Harry as childrenFamily Handout
Harry was a "best friend" to Lola, their mum said

"I feel like I'm finally being heard," she said.

She and her brother were incredibly close and losing Harry had taken a devastating toll on the whole family, Lola, 17, added.

On the Change.org petition, she told readers: "By signing this petition you could be preventing a family losing someone they love ... this petition can help change and shape the future for everyone."

Gorey, from Sutton Road, Walsall, was sentenced to 11 years and three months in prison after he admitted causing death by dangerous driving.

Family Handover Harry sitting next to a sunsetFamily Handover
Harry's mum said their lives had been "shattered into a million pieces"

Lola's mum Claire Chapman said there was "very little laughter" in their home since her 20-year-old son died, adding they had both suffered nightmares since the court case.

"It's like our life has been shattered into a million pieces that will never be put back together again."

But she described her "immense pride" when she discovered Lola had decided to launch her own campaign to see change.

"I had a little cry when I found out that Lola was doing it in honour of her brother," she said.

Hundreds of comments on Facebook show residents backing Lola's bid.

Streetly councillors also insisted some road safety measures were on the way, but people living in Aldridge Road said they had not been consulted and urged them to consider speed cameras.

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