Heartbroken girlfriend who lost ‘love of her life’ in horror car crash on her 21st vows to never celebrate her birthday again
Michelle Atherton, 21, from Prestatyn, Wales, was by partner Martin Kelly's side when he passed away in hospital
THE heartbroken girlfriend of a man killed following a horror car crash on her 21st claims she’ll never celebrate her birthday again.
Michelle Atherton, 21, had plans to spend her special day on December 20 last year with boyfriend Martin Kelly, 41, whom she’d been with for almost three years.
She was annoyed when he failed to show up at her birthday meal with her family – but was later devastated to discover it was because he’d been involved in a horrifying car accident.
She raced to the hospital still carrying her 21st birthday balloon and bags of presents – only to be told that Martin wasn't going to make it.
Michelle, from Prestatyn, Wales, recalled: “Martin had bought me lots of lovely gifts for my birthday and we were planning a special evening.
“For him to die on my 21st birthday is tragic. I won’t ever celebrate another birthday again.”
The couple met when Michelle’s brother began dating Martin’s sister, Becky.
“Martin was much older than me and usually I went for men my own age, but Martin was different,” Michelle explained.
“I fancied him like mad.”
Martin ran his own business valeting cars and the couple soon moved in together.
Michelle said: “Martin was fun to be around. He was very spontaneous and straight-talking. Life was never dull with him. In many ways, he had never grown up.
“We were planning a holiday to Morocco over the summer. We had so much to look forward to.”
Michelle told how on the morning of her birthday, Martin lavished her with perfume, a glittery red top and a huge bouquet of flowers.
“He made such a fuss of me,” she recalled.
“I was going for a meal with all my family at 6pm and Martin was invited, but he didn’t seem too keen to come. I made him promise.
“After the meal, he and I were going to celebrate just the two of us. When he didn’t show at the restaurant, I was annoyed thinking he had decided not to bother.
“I set off home to give him a piece of my mind.”
But at 8pm as she made her way home on the bus, Michelle got a call from her sister to say Martin had been in a serious car accident and was in hospital.
Michelle explained: “I went straight to the hospital where the doctors took me aside and told me Martin wasn’t going to make it.
“I was devastated – furious with him, for leaving me. I was allowed to see him and I was in shock. I just refused to accept that he would never wake up again.”
Martin died later that night with Michelle by his side.
At his funeral, Michelle played Toot Suite – his favourite song from the film Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.
“He always sang it to me when he’d had a few beers,” she said. “It used to make me laugh.”
Now, Michelle is struggling to cope after losing the love of her life.
Police have told her that Martin was a passenger in a car driven by a friend, Danny Degan, 26, when it crashed into another car around 6pm, around an hour before he was due to meet Michelle.
Danny, a father-of-four, was pronounced dead at the scene. The other driver survived with minor injuries. An inquest into the deaths will be held at a later date.
Michelle said: “For Martin to die on my 21st birthday was so very cruel.
“I miss him so much. We had our whole lives ahead of us.”
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