The grieving father of a “very loving” and “happy” teenager killed while riding his bike along a narrow road is asking for an inquest into his death.

Bruno Frias said he would welcome a public fact-finding inquiry to determine why his 16-year-old son Josh’s scooter collided with a car at about 6.30pm on July 17 on Parsons Lane in Devonshire — a stretch of road where other young motorcyclists have been killed and injured.

“I just don’t want his death to go in vain, where nothing comes out of it,” Mr Frias said. “Let’s save some other children. I worry about some next child.”

The devastated dad also told how he had to “barge” his way into Josh’s room at King Edward VII Memorial Hospital to say goodbye, alleging that security staff told him he could not see his son.

Josh’s aunt, Olivia de Frias, said she encountered the same “lack of empathy” from hospital staff.

“We weren’t disruptive in any way,” she added. “We were there to grieve and support one another in a time that was very difficult for everyone.”

Six weeks after their son died, Mr Frias said he and wife, Ingrid, feel in the dark about the police inquiry into the crash and wish they were being told more.

He said that when he asked about the investigation, police told him they were working on it but did not provide details and he has no idea how long it could take.

The couple were asked to go to Hamilton Police Station to give statements to the investigating officer last week.

Mr Frias said he was asked to sign waivers to allow Josh’s medical and phone records to be accessed and he questioned why the requests were not made sooner.

“They should have reached out to me a long time ago,” he added.

Mr Frias said: “The only thing that I got from them was that the driver saw Josh lose control.

“What caused him to lose control? It had rained that morning but at that hour it wasn’t raining. They told me they had CCTV footage, but not of the impact.

“Josh was a very big driver. I was 100 per cent confident of my son being on the road … He’s been riding bikes for a long time.”

He added: “The police are still waiting for his bike to be released from TCD [Transport Control Department]. Why would it take so long?”

The Bermuda Police Service said this week that officers were “diligently working” to bring closure to Josh’s family. And the Bermuda Hospitals Board, while not commenting on the specific case, stated that its policy was that immediate family may see a patient.

Other teenage motorcyclists have been killed on Parsons Lane, including 18-year-old Ryan Burgess in 2006 and 19-year-old Jahmeiko Perkins in 2011.

Akil Williams, 24, was killed in a motorcycle accident on the same stretch of road in 2006.

Mr Frias is convinced that the road is dangerous and should become one-way, and that a stone wall on the corner affects visibility for road users.

Mr Frias said an inquest into how Josh died could provide valuable insight into suitable safety measures to prevent future deaths.

“I would cut the stone wall back myself,” he said. “It’s mind-blowing [that it hasn’t been done].”

Ms de Frias launched a petition to make Parsons Lane a one-way street a week after her nephew’s death. It had 1,800 signatures yesterday, with the family hoping for more.

She said that recent reporting by The Royal Gazette — which revealed that only four public inquests have been held in the past decade, none of them into the hundreds of road fatalities during that period — made her wonder whether a petition was also needed on that issue.

Ms de Frias suggested that it was time for a rethink of the inquests system to enable families to get answers about the sudden deaths of their loved ones and to improve safety for the island.

“There is no closure [regarding Josh’s death],” she said. “I want to do this to get the inquests back on the books.”

Mr Frias described the distressing aftermath of the accident, when King Edward VII Memorial Hospital held on to his son’s body for an autopsy to be carried out but then told him Josh had Covid when he died, so only an MRI scan was done.

“The cause of death was fractures,” said Mr Frias. “They didn’t say where. At the beginning they said he died on impact, but they pronounced him dead at the hospital.”

Mr Frias described his son, a CedarBridge Academy student, as “just a happy kid. I gave him everything I could, and when I couldn’t, he understood”.

Ms de Frias said: “He was very loving. He still hugged and kissed us when he saw us.”

A BPS spokesman empathised with the family and said police were “diligently working to provide them the closure they seek following the loss of their loved one”.

He said that the investigating officer and a family liaison officer gave an update to the parents at the meeting last week.

“Investigations of this nature are necessarily detailed as every effort must be made to ensure all aspects are fully examined,” the spokesman added.

“Upon completion of the investigation, the findings will be submitted to the coroner’s office.

“The coroner will then review these findings and determine whether, in the public interest, an inquest is to be held.

“The BPS remain committed to ensuring this matter is thoroughly addressed.”

The BHB gave “heartfelt condolences” to Josh’s family but said individual cases could not be commented on owing to confidentiality.

The board said in a statement: “It’s BHB’s policy that immediate family are allowed to see a patient.”

It asked those dissatisfied with care or treatment after the death of a loved one to contact the patient relations manager at feedback@bhb.bm or on 239-1425.

The board said autopsies could be performed on people with Covid and all traffic fatalities were reported to the coroner.

“With advances in diagnostic imaging technology that can provide full body internal scans, not all autopsies require a body to be physically opened up [dissection].

“The type of autopsy required is based on each individual case, not on their Covid status. Covid status would be relevant, however, as additional precautions are required for positive individuals.

“The coroner is the point of contact for any status update on an autopsy report.”

• If you have suffered the sudden death of a loved one and want to share your views or experiences regarding inquests, please e-mail sstrangeways@royalgazette.com