Dad-to-be Callum Fardell dies in A17 lorry crash: 'He will never get the chance to be the dad he wanted to be'

A young man looking forward to becoming a father has died in a crash that claimed the life of both drivers involved. The family of Callum Fardell have paid tribute to the “funny, generous, and popular” 23-year-old saying “he will never get the chance to be the dad he wanted to be”.

Callum was involved in a collision on the A17 in the Leadenham area on January 10. Police have launched an investigation into the incident which they confirmed “sadly claimed the lives of both drivers involved”.

A spokesperson for Lincolnshire Police said: “Officers were called to the A17 between Brant Broughton and Leadenham just after 7am today (Friday, 10 January), to a report that a white ford transit van and a tanker HGV had collided.

“Sadly, the driver of the lorry, a 68-year-old man, and the 23-year-old man driving the van were both pronounced dead at the scene. There were no other people in the vehicles, and no other vehicles are believed to have been involved. Their next of kin have been informed and will be supported by specially trained officers.”

Speaking about the “cruel” timing of Callum’s death, his family said: “He had his whole life ahead of him and while losing Callum would have devastated us at any time – it feels particularly cruel given what he’s set to miss out on in the coming months.

“Callum was preparing to move into a house with his girlfriend who he deeply loved but will now never get the chance to make it a home. He was due to become a father, with his baby expected to arrive in July. He excitedly told his grandfather he was going to have a child, but he will never get the chance to be the dad he wanted to be.

“Callum was excited to attend his sister’s wedding later this year but will never get the chance to see her wed.”

Describing him as a “funny, generous, and popular young man” who had a passion for life and family, the family said Callum had “a huge heart and made friends wherever he went”. He was said to have been “hugely popular at school” and after joining Harlaxton Engineering, worked with a team from Mansfield, with “lads who really took Callum under their wings, they really looked after him and taught him the skills of the job”. They said: “Callum would often talk about what a good bunch they were and how much he loved them.”

He was also said to have had a passion for sport - notably boxing - visiting a family run boxing club and weight training when he had the chance. Always wanting to help people he also supported local charities and raised funds for good causes.

The family statement said that “even though he was only 23 years old when he died, he’d already packed an awful lot of life into so few years”. They added: “The family are devastated and many of us can’t stop crying. We feel numb. It doesn’t feel fair or right. We are going to miss him so much.

“He would never leave the house without giving us both a hug before he left. Callum was such a loving person and we’ve been inundated with flowers and cards galore. The outpouring of love has been truly indescribable, and he will leave a massive hole in our hearts.

“He was a Grantham lad born and bred and the community will miss him dearly. Thank you to everyone who has reached out. We will never forget Callum or stop loving him and can only thank him for the joy he brought to our lives.”

A police spokesperson said they are continuing to investigate the circumstances of the collision, and are asking anyone who witnessed the incident, or has dashcam and was in the area at the time to check their footage.

The spokesperson added: “We are keen to view footage which shows either vehicle in the minutes before the collision. The white ford transit was travelling from the Sleaford direction, towards Newark along the A17, while the tanker was travelling from the Newark direction towards Sleaford.”

If you have information, contact police on 101 and ask for the Serious Collision Investigation Unit (SCIU) quoting incident 53 of 10 January or email [email protected].