The Left Behind: Police film to highlight devastating impact of road deaths
FIRST ON THE SCENE: PCSO Dawn Brown on Impact: The Left Behind
By Rick Lyon
A hard-hitting documentary highlighting the devasting impact young people being killed in road accidents has on their loved ones is being released by Humberside Police this week.
Impact: The Left Behind documents the case of Macauley Hatch, who died aged 26 after a motorbike crash in north Hull in September 2021, leaving behind his pregnant partner and young child.
It shows the impact his death had, and continues to have, on his family and friends, and aims to deter others from riding or driving recklessly.
PCSO Dawn Brown, from the North Hull Neighbourhood Policing Team (NPT), was the first emergency service person on the scene after Macauley’s crash.
The short film was her idea and it will be shown in schools and to community groups to try and make a difference.
It comes just weeks after the deaths of Kane McBride, 19, and Adam Wright, 25, following a motorbike crash on Hall Road.
Dawn said: “Too many young people lose their lives on our roads each year. Only a few weeks ago, two more boys lost their lives in similar circumstances. Macauley’s is just one of many stories we could have told.
“I was first emergency service person on the scene, and I will never forget the words I spoke to him.
“His family are devastated by his loss, and they will never come to terms with it. I really hope that I don’t have to go to another road traffic collision where someone’s son, brother, or friend loses their life.”
Macauley’s case was one of a number of fatalities in Hull and the surrounding area in recent years after a motorbike or car was taken without consent (TWOC).
Impact: The Left Behind will highlight the risks, and the lasting impact such deaths have, in the hope of making others think twice.
The 12-minute film will be premiered at 6.30pm on Friday at Ellerburn Avenue shops, in north Hull. It will be projected onto the side of Heron Frozen Foods and shown at hourly intervals.
The screenings will be free to attend, with food and refreshments available. Attendees will be able to find out more about the range of community projects being delivered across north Hull that young people in the HU6 postcode area can access.
In addition, the event will feature sports activities by Hull FC, City of Hull Sport and Community Hub boxing, a climbing wall, and a virtual reality experience from Safer Roads Humber and Outkast Panda Crew, with a tyre changing time trial.
There will also be a number of information stalls from organisations such as Refresh, which provides support for young people and families around alcohol and drug issues.
The event has been organised by Humberside Police, in partnership with Hull Youth Justice, the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner’s Violence Prevention Partnership, and Hull-based business Cargill International.
For those who miss the screenings on Friday, Impact: The Left Behind will be played on a continuous loop inside St Michael’s Youth Project, on Ellerburn Avenue, where there will also be a separate wellbeing space provided, with professionals available for anyone wishing to access support.
Following Friday’s event, Dawn will be showing the film at schools and talking directly to pupils about its message.
She said: “I hope this documentary makes our young people stop and think before getting on that motorbike or in that car. No-one should lose their life for that split second moment of adrenalin.”