Really sad news from the U.K., where a PwC marketing manager was struck by a car and killed while jogging last week at a notoriously dangerous spot for pedestrians in Chelsea.
Birmingham Mail reported:
Jack Ryan was struck by an oncoming Range Rover on Wednesday, January 13 at around 6pm close to Battersea Bridge in west London. It’s thought Mr Ryan was out jogging before being hit.
The driver of the Range Rover stopped and is helping police with their enquiries. Medics, meanwhile, tried desperately to save Mr Ryan but, unfortunately, nothing could have been done to save him and the 29-year-old was pronounced dead at the scene.
Mr Ryan was a digital marketing executive for Big Four accounting firm PwC. The company’s chief people officer, Lara Hinton, released a statement last week following Mr Ryan’s death.
It read: “We are shocked and deeply saddened by this tragic news. Jack was a very talented and popular colleague. Our thoughts are with his family, friends and teammates and we are offering them our support.”
According to the Daily Mail, this is the second fatal accident at the junction of Battersea Bridge and Beaufort Street/Cheyne Walk, which is controlled by Transport for London, since October 2017, when a 35-year-old motorcyclist was killed by a car in an early morning collision.
Between 2017 and 2019, 27 people were hurt in 22 accidents in that area, with four accidents involving motorcyclists and one of those suffering a serious injury.
Friends and co-workers of Ryan’s have been circulating an online petition on Twitter calling for better road safety measures near Battersea Bridge:
Last week we lost the amazing Jack Ryan.
I will cherish the memories of knowing you especially our drunken chats at PwC’s Stratosphere. All my love and thoughts are with his family and Liz.
Please sign this petition to make things safer https://t.co/hDjWWYZZuH
#RIPJack pic.twitter.com/Z2j75gchw4
— Robyn Howard (@MsRobynLouise) January 19, 2021
Working with Jack Ryan was an honour. He did himself proud everyday…he was kind, bright and dedicated to his friends, family and work. He will be so missed #RIPJack
One thing we can do is to sign this petition to #MakeBatterseaBridgeSafe https://t.co/MbqnJMcRGU@PHD_UK
— Laura Sloane (@LauraSloane1) January 18, 2021
And if you haven’t already – a link to the petition to make the crossing on Battersea bridge safer is here, please sign and share. https://t.co/KLVJJQqmgP https://t.co/mZwWezT0Fa
— Mallory Harrison (@harrisonmallor_) January 19, 2021
Sometimes there are just no words. Sending all my love and prayers to Jack’s friends and family. Please sign this petition to make battersea bridge safe. https://t.co/8S9SYSwIzE pic.twitter.com/CQzIS5RYGr
— Simran Gill (@SimranScribbles) January 19, 2021
As of this moment, 15,403 people have signed the petition.
Ryan, an avid Aston Villa fan, had worked at PwC since November 2016 and had been a senior digital marketing manager since 2018, according to his LinkedIn profile. Prior to joining PwC, Ryan spent four years at Vodafone U.K. working in a variety of brand, digital media, and customer segment-based marketing roles.
Ryan is the second PwCer to have been struck and killed by a car in the past four months. Back on Sept. 25, Andrew Jordan Santiago, 25, a senior associate at PwC in Dallas, was walking home after watching a hockey game when he was hit by a car while crossing the street. The driver reportedly got out of the car to check on Santiago but got back in the car and drove away. Santiago died from his injuries about a week later.
As of yet, no one has been arrested or charged in Santiago’s death.
Santiago’s parents and family are forming a charitable foundation in Jordan’s name and a GoFundMe page has been established to raise funds for that foundation. A fundraising goal of $25,000 has been set, and as of this moment, $16,684 has been raised.
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