Students take part in a sports day to remember colleague tragically killed a year ago in hit-and-run incident

Mar 7 2008 by Sam Casey, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

IT WAS a day he would have relished.

Yesterday, students at Huddersfield New College remembered sports-mad Adam O’Toole with a sporting competition.

On the first anniversary of his death in a hit-and-run incident outside the college, about 140 teenagers held a minute’s silence before taking part in a round-robin tournament.

Assistant principal Helen Smithson said there were two reasons for the event.

“One is to acknowledge that it’s 12 months since Adam tragically lost his life,’’ she said. “Having a sporting competition was appropriate because it’s something he would have loved.

“Secondly, it’s a reminder that the person responsible for his death hasn’t been caught and it’s a plea for anyone out there who has information to come forward so we can get some form of closure.”

Adam, who was 18, was studying for a BTEC national diploma in sport at the college and intended to go to university to continue studying sport.

He was a highly-regarded Huddersfield Rugby Union Club junior winger and academy player who had trials for Yorkshire.

He died after being hit by a car – believed to be a blue Rover 200 – on the pedestrian crossing on New Hey Road at about 10.30am last March 6.

Sports teacher Jamie Marsden said the college wanted to keep his memory going.

“I can’t believe a year has gone by since it happened,’’ he said. “I knew Adam very well – I had played rugby against him and played him only the week before.

“The sports team is still affected by it. We still talk about him, still remember him, so it’s quite an emotional day.

“Students who were in Adam’s year have moved on to university.

“Some of the students who are here now may have known him – many won’t – but for everyone this is about remembering a young lad who died in a tragic incident.”