Thinking about Toby

1:58pm Thursday 7th August 2008

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THE family of a young Sale man who died in a horrific road smash have paid tribute to him.

Toby Tweddell, aged 25, died when a lorry driver who had fallen asleep at the wheel ploughed into a queue of traffic on the M62 in Merseyside.

Last week, a coroner recorded a verdict of accidental death at the inquest into his death - and called for action to reduce the number of deaths caused by a sleeping disorder.

Toby, who grew up in Penrith, Cumbria, had moved to a house on Chapel Road, Sale with fiancee Jenny Crisp, just a few months before he died in August 2006.

The couple, who met at Sheffield University, came to Trafford after returning from a four month trip to South East Asia. Toby had landed a job as web designer in Liverpool and Jenny began work at the Co-op Bank HQ in Manchester.

Toby's dad, Nic, said of his son: "He was a very gregarious person, very good with people, always fun to be with."

He enjoyed writing and solving crosswords, extreme frisbee and sailing.

Nic said it had been hard to cope since Toby's death: "But you have to - life has to go on, but it has been very difficult for all of us.

"In many ways it has been hardest for Jenny - they had planned a life together."

During their travels, the couple were moved by the continuing struggle of the people of Cambodia to recover from the horrors of a civil war that ended 30 years ago. That inspired Jenny to set up an appeal in Toby's memory for the Cambodia Trust, and it has raised £5,265.

The family also launched a website 'Thinking About Toby', where people can add their memories of him. Jenny said: "The unwavering support and endless love radiating from our friends and families has been the only thing to carry me forward."