Friends of Peel footballer Kian Broadhead have spoken of the huge gap his death has left in their lives as they marked what would have been his 26th birthday.

Tuesday, August 4, would have been Kian’s 26th birthday, with friends and family sharing messages and memories on social media in tribute to the popular young plumber.

Kian, who lived in Peel, died after the work van he was driving left the A4 at the Devil’s Elbow last year.

He was last seen leaving Peel at around midnight on Saturday, September 13, and was found at about 5.25pm the following day.

An inquest heard that, despite his body being discovered around 17 hours after the crash, medical evidence showed Kian died ‘almost instantaneously’ from a serious head injury.

Kian’s death prompted an outpouring of grief across the west of the island, with his funeral service highlighting the affection and respect in which he was held by the local community.

A keen footballer, Kian played for Peel AFC and was also an avid Liverpool FC supporter.

Speaking to Isle of Man Today this week, one of his closest friends, Jaime Craig, described Kian as someone whose personality and energy had left a lasting impression on everyone who knew him.

‘Ki was the life of the party and had the biggest personality,’ Jaime said.

‘He has left such a gap in the lives of everyone who knew him. It’s hard to imagine life without him and his energy.

‘We love and miss him so much.’

‘We know that, with the way he was, he would want us to smash everything we do in our lives – and we will do it in his memory.’