The family of Keaton Lacey, a 20-year-old from Sutton Coldfield who died in a road crash in January 2025, has raised more than £10,000 for the Midlands Air Ambulance (MAA) in his memory. The fundraising effort continues Keaton's own work for the charity, which had saved his older brother Callum's life in a separate accident in 2017.
Fatal crash on icy road
Keaton was driving his Ford Fiesta to work on the A453 Sutton Road, between Bassetts Pole and Tamworth, on Wednesday, January 8, 2025, when his car skidded on unseen ice and aquaplaned into an oncoming BMW near the junction with Drayton Lane, shortly before 7am. Medics gave advanced life support, but Keaton died at the scene.
His mother, Tracey Redmond, said: "In January last year, Keaton was driving to work where he was due to get in a van. Standing water has been an issue there for many years. That standing water had turned into ice. As he hit it, he aquaplaned and crossed to the other side of the road where he collided with an oncoming vehicle. He passed away pretty much instantly. He had just turned 20. His birthday was Christmas Eve."
Brother's earlier accident
Keaton's older brother, Callum, was 16 in May 2017 when he stepped off a bus in College Road, near Witton Cemetery, and was hit by a car. He suffered a serious brain injury and a fractured back, requiring emergency surgery at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital. The MAA helicopter medics provided critical care at the scene and airlifted him to hospital.
Tracey said: "Had they not acted as they did he wouldn't be with us today. They said it was a miracle. After a few hours he was trying to pull wires out. Within a few weeks he was talking and laughing."
Keaton's fundraising legacy
Keaton was so grateful for the MAA's role in saving his brother that he began fundraising for the charity, completing a skydive and participating in the Sutton Fun Run in 2023 and 2024. After his death, his family took up the cause, raising over £10,000 through events including a duck race in Sutton Park and a fundraiser on what would have been his 21st birthday.
Tracey explained: "We started raising for the charity in March or April last year after Keaton had died. We just needed something to focus on. When everything's done, all you're waiting for is coroners."
Rubber duck memorial
Keaton had a passion for rubber ducks, which he brought back from a family trip to Florida in 2023. The family incorporated this into their fundraising, giving away ducks at his funeral and asking people to take them far and wide, posting photos on social media pages @duckingkeat. Tracey said: "We didn't want to remember Keaton with sadness and gave everybody a rubber duck at his funeral. We asked them to 'take them far and wide' and post photos. We raised over £3,000 for the air ambulance at his funeral."
So far, the family has given away between 800 and 900 ducks. Keaton's sister, Mia, also completed a skydive to raise funds. The family has been nominated for an MAA Community Fundraiser Award 2026.
Impact on the family
Tracey reflected on the ongoing grief: "People think the day you get news like that is the worst day of your life. But it's not. It's what comes after. He was really kind. If he saw someone stranded by the side of the road, he'd stop. If people needed something he'd help. Everyone's just devastated. There's always a hole."
Despite the tragedy, the family remains focused on positive action. Tracey said: "We want to focus on the positives. Think of what we can do that Keaton would be proud of us." The funds raised have allowed Keaton's name to be added to the underside of an MAA helicopter.
