A routine morning run ended in unimaginable tragedy for a Scottish family when a mother-of-five and her beloved dog were killed in a collision with a Land Rover.
A Life Cut Short on a Busy Road
On Wednesday, 29 October, Amy Gray, a 42-year-old trainee nurse, was taking her dog Reggie for their regular run along the busy A8 in Port Glasgow. It was a weekly ritual that offered a brief respite from her demanding schedule caring for her five young children and her university studies.
Tragically, both Amy and her pet were struck down and killed at the scene. Emergency services rushed to the incident but were unable to save her. Her youngest child had celebrated their first birthday just a few months prior, in July.
A Family's Unbearable Loss and Lasting Memories
Amy's grieving family are now tormented by the thought that a matter of seconds could have averted the disaster. Her brother-in-law, Daniel Hagen, who was very close to Amy, expressed the family's anguish.
"Had she forgotten her phone or her fit bit or anything, that could have made a difference. That's the hardest part," Mr Hagen told the Daily Mail. "I believe it was just a series of unfortunate events. Everything that could have gone wrong that day did. A few seconds either way and Amy would still be with us."
He fondly remembered Amy as 'the best kind of person', describing her as lovely, kind, and universally loved. "She was so happy, smiley, funny, and she could make things even funnier than they were meant to be," he recalled. "Her laugh was so loud and that was funny itself."
Building a Future and Supporting a Family
Amy was building a new career, having just started her nursing studies at university. In a cruel twist of fate, she had only received her first placement on the Isle of Tiree the day before her death, a detail that became her "last big drama" as she figured out the logistics of the eight-and-a-half-hour journey.
She leaves behind a blended family. Amy had a nine-year-old daughter from a previous relationship, and she and her long-term partner, David, had two young children together, aged two and one. David also had two children from a previous relationship, meaning the couple shared five children between them: Bethany, Harrison, Ava, Torin, and Lucy.
To support David and the children, the family set up a GoFundMe page, which has seen an outpouring of support, raising over £56,000 from generous strangers, including an apparent £5,000 donation from author Leigh Rivers.
Amy Gray's life was celebrated at a funeral service held at Greenock Crematorium on Saturday, 15 November, leaving a community and a family to mourn a woman described as the very best of them.
