In 1992 2nd year dental student at Guys Hospital London, Alex Boulger (age 19) was selected for the university rugby team; the team was due to play a university tour rugby match on the 17th October. The rugby club hired a couple of mini buses and the team left London to drive to Bath on the evening of 16th October in high spirits, looking forward to the match.
At 9pm that evening close to their destination, and at a known accident black spot, the driver of one bus lost control and it crashed, leaving the road and rolling and landing on its side.
In 1992 it wasn’t unusual not to have seatbelts in a mini bus. Due to the lack of seatbelts some students were thrown from the bus. Sadly two became trapped underneath the bus when it landed on its side. It was partially as a result of the accident that the law was changed making it mandatory for seat belts to be fitted on mini buses and coaches.
One of the trapped students was Alex Boulger and he was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident.
Alex was the brother of Jules and Toria and the son of Ray and Lana Boulger.
In 2017, the four founding directors of STEPS, Ray, Jules, Toria and Kathryn Northey, all agreed it would be fitting for ‘Alexander House’ to be the name of their new building that would provide specialist care and rehabilitation to people following serious accidents. The trauma and devastation families are going through when they arrive at STEPS is something Jules, Toria and Ray have some understanding of.
Two of the great loves in Alex’s life were rugby and music, and he was a very talented pianist. The piano in STEPS music room was the family piano that he played so beautifully. It is now wonderful to see the happiness it brings to STEPS clients and their families.
The third Sunday in November has been a Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims by the charity RoadPeace since 1993 and adopted by the United Nations in 2005 as the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic accident Victims. It is now recognised internationally as a World Day of Remembrance for all those affected by road accidents and is included in the Global Plan for the UN Decade of Action for Road Safety, launched in May 2011.
RoadPeace was founded on the principle of road danger reduction. It supports effective traffic law enforcement targeting those posing the greatest risks to others, especially vulnerable road users, safer systems and vehicles that are better designed, equipped and operated.
Road traffic accidents are a leading cause of death to the young and healthy. Every day in the UK, five people a day are killed. During 2018, 3,949 people suffered serious injuries following a road traffic accident.
The aftermath of a road crash is devastating. RoadPeace helps bereaved families cope by providing peer support, through a group network, befriending service and trauma support programmes. It also provides information guides on navigating the justice system and help with seeking fair compensation for bereaved families and seriously injured victims.
If you would like to find out more please look at their website here.
