The little sister of a man killed in a motorbike crash in Cumbria has made a touching tribute to her brother.
Alexander Birnie, from Padiham, Burnley, died on the side of a rural road in Cumbria after his motorbike crashed.
The 21-year-old was riding along the A683 between Kirkby Lonsdale and Sedbergh when his bike suddenly crashed on bank holiday Monday shortly before midday.
The former under-18s goalkeeper for Padiham FC had taken the plunge and quit his job to chase his dream of becoming an entrepreneur.
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Alex launched a streetwear brand, DripUnique, with his best friend Dominik Jaron.
Now his sister, Isabelle, 17, has paid tribute to his life that was cut short too soon.
Isabelle said: ‘My big brother, Alex was an idiot — but the funniest idiot you’d ever meet and quite frankly, he was my idiot. He had this way of winding me up, making fun of me, pushing every button he could but the second I needed him, he was there. No hesitation. First one by my side.
‘He loved his bikes more than anything, and he had this dream of one day racing on a track. He talked about it like it was already going to happen, and honestly, with the determination he had, I believe it would have.
‘Everybody loved him. He had this energy, this presence, that pulled people in. And if you were lucky enough to be his friend, you knew he’d ride or die for you.
‘One time, he even “commissioned” me to take photos for him, promised me a fiver for the job. I’m still waiting for that fiver. One day, I’ll collect it. Consider that a warning, big bro.
‘But jokes aside, he wasn’t just my brother. He was my safe place, my protector, my best friend. The person who could make me laugh when I wanted to cry, and the person I always thought I’d have by my side for the big moments in life.
‘And now, I have to face those moments without him. My kids will never get to have him as their uncle. He’ll never get to meet my husband, never get to stand by me on my wedding day, never get to see my dreams come true — or live out his own.
‘And that’s what hurts the most. The sky looks brighter with you up there, just like life did when you were here.
‘Goodbye, big brother. I love you more than words will ever be able to say.’
Heartfelt tributes poured in from people who knew Alex after news of his tragic death emerged.
Leon Atkin, who worked with Alex, described him as ‘the calm one, the quiet one, the website wizard, the goat of Xbox.’
He said: ‘I met Alex 3 years ago, he started as a customer of mine and became one of my best friends. Don’t really know how to deal with this and don’t think I ever will. Truly taken away too soon.’
Leon and Dominik have set up a GoFundMe page to help Alex’s family with the funeral costs, which has raised almost £9,000.
Alex’s former football club issued a statement on social media: ‘Padiham Football Club are extremely saddened to hear of the passing of Alex Birnie. Alex was a former Padiham u18s goalkeeper and joined up with the 1st team squad for a while. Sincere thoughts and condolences to Alex’s family & friends at this extremely sad time.’
Police are investigating the crash, and any witnesses are asked to contact Cumbria Police.
Officers thanked people who stopped at the crash scene to help.
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