Family of Steven Atkinson appeal for information

Oct 23 2009 The Journal

THE family of a brave schoolboy who beat cancer but was killed in a traffic accident have appealed for information on the moments leading up to his death.

Steven Atkinson, 12, was knocked down and killed, while out on his bike in Sunderland, on Saturday night.

The Sandhill View school pupil had overcome a number of disabilities from birth and had won his battle with leukaemia, after being diagnosed with the illness as a toddler.

As his family struggle to come to terms with the cruel loss they have appealed for anyone with information on the incident to contact police. Avid Sunderland fan Steven is understood to have collided with a black Mini, at around 8.45pm on Saturday, near the junction of Glenleigh drive, on the A183 Chester Road.

The driver was arrested following the crash and later released on police bail. Steven’s parents Violet, 37, and Graeme, 39, have been comforting their other three children John, 16, Dawn, 13, and Katie, three, at the family home in the city’s Fordham Road. Violet said: “We would welcome any information which will help us find out what happened to Steven. As a family it is so important to us to understand what happened.”

Tributes to the Steven, who was born with a cleft palate, jaw defect, curvature of the spine, deafness in one ear and an eye which could not move, have continued to flood on to social networking site Facebook. More than 2,100 people have signed up to a group set up in his memory. Anyone with information is asked to contact police on 03456 043 043.