ON OCTOBER 7, 2009, Newtownbutler man, Willie Parker, received the news that no parents wants to hear. 

His 20-year-old son, Ryan, had been killed in a freak motorcycle accident. He died on impact when his bike collided head-on with a telegraph pole near Clones.

The news was hard to take in. Mr. Parker's world would never be the same again. 

The aftermath of the incident haunts him to this day. 

Mr. Parker said that each time he thinks of the incident, he "breaks down".

"He wasn't into racing at all, but he was mad about the stunt end of things," Mr. Parker said. "On any race he was on, he was always the last man to finish. He didn't like the speed, and he thought stunting was safer, and it's a much slower support. 

"What happened him that day was a tragedy. It is as sad today as it was 15 years ago."

Since his son's passing, Mr. Parker has become a fierce advocate for motorcycle safety, especially when it comes to making sure bikes are mechanically correct. 

He doesn't know what caused Ryan to lose control that day, but he fears that a problem with his bike may have caused the fatal collision. 

"A month before he had crashed the bike into the hedge and bent the forks on that bike," Mr. Parker said. "He came out of it with a couple of skin cuts, but the molecules on the steel of the bike must have been damaged. 

"He was a good rider, he shouldn't have lost control. I suppose it shows how important it is to make sure bikes are in the best condition possible."

Mr. Parker has also called for a safer environment for riders who are interested in stunt riding. 

"Before Ryan died, he always said how good a local track would be," he said. "Some kind of place that bike men, who were into wheeling, could go to let off steam, a place that's well-organised and marshalled, and where bikes would be checked over for safety. 

"In this kind of environment, if a rider falls off, the chances of getting killed are slim. But if you fall onto the road you are in for serious damage.

"Something like this locally would be a massive asset and help the safety of bikers immensely."