Bereaved man to establish charity

Neal Cooper wants to campaign for better safety on the roads

A man whose daughter was knocked down and killed by a bus is to help other bereaved parents.

Paula Rhodes and her husband Richard died in the crash at Ingoldmells on the Lincolnshire coast in 2004.

The bus driver was jailed for five years after he admitted causing death by dangerous driving.

Neal Cooper, from Mansfield, is setting up a branch of the charity Roadpeace to offer counselling and support to bereaved families.

Safety campaign

"The aims are to give support to victims of road deaths and injuries. Support comes from people like myself who have gone through that experience," said Mr Cooper.

Mr Cooper revealed that for two years after his daughter's death he thought about committing suicide.

"It's very important after a road death, especially if it's one of your children, that you keep talking to people who've had the same experience because they are the only ones that really understand what you've been through.

"It was only the fact that I could speak to other people who knew and had been through exactly the same thing that has kept me here now," he said.

He also wants to campaign for better safety on the roads.