The family of a 24-year-old killed in a hit-and-run in Liverpool have paid an emotional tribute to their ‘funny and kind-hearted’ son.
Matthew Bradley, originally from Glenavy in County Antrim, Northern Ireland, was enjoying a night out with friends when he was struck in The Strand by a silver BMW 330 car at 11.40pm on Friday.
The driver of the car failed to stop, leaving Matthew critically injured in the street. He died from his injuries a short time later in hospital.
Tragic: Matthew Bradley (pictured), originally from Glenavy in County Antrim, Northern Ireland, was enjoying a night out with friends when he was struck in The Strand by a silver BMW 330 car at 11.40pm on Friday
In a statement, Matthew’s parents Donal and Margaret Bradley, on behalf of his three sisters Claire, Roisin and Megan, and his girlfriend Rhiannon, from Guildford, said: ‘Matthew was hugely talented and award-winning in his chosen career of landscape gardening – following in his dad’s footsteps – and had an illustrious career ahead of him.
‘He was a funny, kind-hearted and generous young man who will be sorely missed by all that knew him.’
A joint investigation by detectives and road traffic collision investigators from Merseyside Police is under way and the car believed to have been involved in the collision has been found and forensically examined.
Specially-trained family liaison officers have been supporting Matthew’s family and girlfriend, who have travelled from Northern Ireland and the south of England respectively to Liverpool, following his death.
The driver of the car failed to stop, leaving Matthew (pictured) critically injured in the street. He died from his injuries a short time later in hospital
Inspector Danny Harris, from the roads policing unit, said: ‘This is an extremely serious incident in which a young man has tragically died.
‘The person behind the wheel at the time of this collision knows what has happened and it is important that they do the right thing and come forward and help us understand what has happened.
‘The city is covered by CCTV and we are using every resource at our disposal to investigate this tragedy and will not stop until we have identified and tracked down everyone who was there at the time.’
Anyone who has information that could help the investigation is urged to call Merseyside Police on 0151 777 5747 or leave information anonymously via Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.