TODAY, family and friends of young Callum Eborall are trying to come to terms with his tragic and untimely death following an accident at Les Banques on Friday evening.

Any death is sad but the loss of one so young is particularly hard to bear, particularly in such circumstances.

It will be some time before police inquiries are completed and it can be said with any certainty exactly what happened, but that is of no comfort to whose who are grieving the loss of a clearly well-loved youngster.

If there is any comfort to be had, it must be from the spontaneous and heart-felt roadside ceremony on Sunday and from the outpouring of tributes and comments yesterday from those affected by Callum’s passing.

By all accounts, the football-mad little lad – as many called him – was a real little character with an infectious smile and a winning way.

The growing collection of flowers and other tributes at Les Banques are a poignant demonstration of the affection in which the youngster was held – and of the shock felt that someone so young could be involved in such a tragic accident.

Even for islanders with no direct involvement in the incident, the sight of so many flowers, toys and messages of condolence is a raw emotional reminder of the consequences of an untimely death.

Guernsey is fortunate that it has comparatively few such serious traffic accidents but the consequences of them are profound and far-reaching.

Perhaps understandably, those in the area believe there is a need for traffic calming and, as we report today, one of Callum’s closest friends, who had the heartbreak of being one of the first on the scene, experienced a near miss on a zebra crossing further up the road.

Whether road safety in the area is an issue is doubtless something that will emerge as the investigation unfolds.

In the meantime, a family and friends have to come to terms with what has happened – and another family is waiting for their son to be released from hospital after also being involved in the accident.

Islanders’ thoughts will be with all of them.