THE brave sister of Courtney Ellis has shared her memories of the day she witnessed her sister hit by a speeding car, in the hope that others will sign a petition to ban dangerous drivers from our roads.
In September 2020, 14-year-old Courtney Ellis was struck by a speeding car travelling at 90mph on a 30mph on Blackbrook Road.
The crime happened before Violet’s Law came into place, so the driver, Brandon Turton from Newton-le-Willows, was sentenced to six years and nine months in prison.
He was also disqualified for seven years and four months – which started from the start point of his sentence in November 2022.
This has led Courtney’s mum Angela Burke to launch her own petition for law change, calling for a lifelong driving ban for those convicted of causing death by dangerous driving.
The petition has now got the backing of Violet-Grace Youens’ family, who also lost their daughter to a dangerous driver in 2017 when she was aged four.
The Youens family also helped strengthen sentencing powers for judges in death by dangerous driving cases after launching a petition like this one.
Following their support, Angela’s petition has gone from strength to strength, with 10,072 signatures to date, meaning the government must respond.
However, 100,000 signatures are needed before it is to be considered for debate.
In light of this, Courtney’s sister Morgan, who was with her when she was hit by the car has shared her harrowing memories of the day in the hopes it will inspire more people – particularly those her age – to sign the petition.
Morgan, 18, said: “Me and Courtney went out for the day with our friends round Blackbrook field and then it got to around about 9.50pm so I got hold of her hand to set off to go home.
“It all happened so fast I didn’t know what had went on, one minute she was there the next she wasn’t.
“I remember seeing car bits all over the road.
“I stepped back and looked to my left, then that’s when the realisation kicked in and I was in total shock. I didn’t know what to do with myself. I was grabbing hold of everyone and screaming.
“[I was] holding my stomach crying. I felt in pain, I felt fear, I felt shocked, I couldn’t believe what I had saw.
“The state she was in was horrendous I was shouting her multiple times ‘Courtney can you hear me?’, ‘wake up Courtney come on please’, ‘please don’t leave me, don’t die Courtney I’m sorry’, ‘I love you wake up’ then I believe I fainted.
Morgan described the awful ordeal of witnessing the injuries her sister had suffered.
The pair were inseparable before Courtney’s death, being only a few years apart in age, even sharing the same bedroom and bed.
Morgan added: “We were inseparable, we were just like two peas in a pod, didn’t go nowhere without each other and we even shared the same room and bed.
“It’s been really, really hard without her and I feel lost without her here with me.
“I wish I could go back in time and make sure she didn’t cross that road, it makes me so angry that I couldn’t do anything to protect her.
“I know Courtney would want me to live for her and make her proud she wanted me to go far with my singing which when she passed away I sang songs dedicated to her and reached thousands of views.
“If she was here now, she would be so proud. Life isn’t the same without her but I’m going to live for her and succeed in life for her.”
Commenting on the petition which was launched by their mum Angela, Morgan said: “It made me feel happy but also nervous because I wanted it to go far and have a legacy for Courtney’s memory and to take dangerous, stupid drivers off the road for life not just for a couple of months or years.
“I have faith and believe in this we can do it and it would really mean a lot to me and my family it would be the best thing because then that means we have achieved something good for our special Courtney.
“Please sign the petition, imagine it being you in my shoes, imagine you losing a special bond with your sister/brother by them passing away it’s awful.
“You might think it will never ever happen to you but trust me you don’t know what’s round the corner and I never thought it would happen to me but it did.”
To sign the petition, go to petition.parliament.uk/petitions/623592
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