THE parents of a young man crushed to death under the wheels of a taxi after a night out with friends are suing the driver for damages.

Kieron Madden died instantly of horrific head, torso, leg and arm injuries when a private hire cab ran over him as he lay in the road.

On the night he died, the 20-year-old labourer had spent ages trying to hail a taxi in Glasgow's Saracen Street in the Possil area but they refused to pick him up because he was drunk.

He made the fatal mistake of lying down on the road in the hope that someone would stop and give him a lift home to Carntyne but instead a passing taxi driver ran over him.

The driver, George Smith, from Bearsden, East Dunbartonshire, was taken to court last May but he was found not guilty of causing death by dangerous driving after he claimed he didn't see him lying in the road.

Now Kieron's parents James, 50, and Avril, 45, are taking a civil action against the driver in a last-ditch bid to get justice for their son.

Distraught James, a former bricklayer and full-time carer for his wife, who sufferers from MS, said their lives had been ripped apart by the double tragedy.

Kieron died just four months after he lost his 75-year-old grandpa William Madden to mesothelioma caused by exposure to asbestos while working in the Clyde shipyards.

James and Avril, who also have a 21-year-old daughter Cara, said their son was unrecognisable after the accident and the police had to identify his body using fingerprints and dental records.

Kieron died on April 21 2012 but they weren't told until the following day because he didn't have any ID on him when he was killed.

James said: "We lost my dad just months earlier and we were still raw from that when we found out Kieron had died. We were devastated.

"Our lives have stopped. The only thing that keeps us going is our daughter Cara. We've got to keep going for her but we all feel lives have been ruined by what happened.

"I still feel him and hear him around the house and expect him to walk in the front door.

"We talk about him all the time and remember all the good times we had with him.

"He was a handsome boy and all the lassies loved him and his pals thought he was a great laugh.

"He was all for his family. When he was at home he was never cheeky and was always quiet and polite. Outside he was a bit rambunctious and loved to joke around."

When contacted about the pending court action at his home, Mr Smith said he had been advised not to make any contact with the family but apologised for the Kieron's death.

Mr Smith: "We were advised at the time by the police and our lawyers not to speak to the family or make any contact with them and we have been given the same advice now.

"Myself and my wife are truly and desperately sorry for their loss.

"We, of course, did not wish this to happen to anybody."

Kieron was very close to his mum and worried about her condition.

Wiping tears from her eyes, Avril said: "I miss him so much. Life is just not the same without him. You never expect your child will go before you. It's not supposed to happen like that. We will never get over it. We are all heartbroken."

James and Avril said they were determined to continue their fight for justice through a civil action despite the driver being found not guilty by a jury at Glasgow Sheriff Court.

They said they were shocked when the jury returned a not guilty verdict and find it difficult to accept.

James added: "It just made the pain of losing our son even worse.

"When I went to the mortuary he was in such a bad way I didn't even recognise my own son.

"The last time we saw Kieron was on April 21 around lunchtime when he went to meet his girlfriend and he never came home.

"We thought maybe he had gone to his pals but as time passed we started to get worried and then the police turned up at around 4pm the next day to tell us he had been killed. It had taken them all that time to identify him because he didn't have any ID on him that night.

"We were horrified when we heard the detail of what happened. Kieron had been run over and dragged 13 metres under the car. The driver didn't even stop until he saw his white trainers in the mirror and he was at the traffic lights.

"He pulled over and ran back to where Kieron was lying and by then someone else had called the police

Their lawyer, David Adams, from Thompsons Solicitors, insisted the couple had a strong civil case against the driver.

He said: "I believe that Kieron's family have a strong civil claim against the driver for his actions that led to the death of their son.

"While the criminal case against Mr Smith was not successful, the current civil legal action will hopefully provide some measure of justice for the Maddens who continue to suffer terrible grief due to the loss of their son."