NORTH EAST NEWS: Heartbroken family pay tribute to ‘truly unique’ grandad who died in crash
A heartbroken family has paid tribute to a 'kind and caring' grandad who died in a crash. Michael Casey sadly passed away when his van collided with an HGV on the A690 in County Durham. The fatal collision happened at 11.15am on Tuesday, July 1.
Michael, 58, was the son of Jenny, brother to Sharon and Dawn and dad to Ashley, as well as grandad to Freddie, Livvie and Lenny. The Crook man's family have described him as a "a truly unique, kind and caring man," Chronicle Live reports. In a statement, Ashley said: "He will be profoundly missed by everyone who had the pleasure of knowing him.
"His quirky humour brought smiles to countless faces. He opened his heart and home to many, always happy to help people whether it was giving lifts, fixing cars or making a Sunday roast dinner for friends over the years. "His mam Jenny will miss Michael dearly.
Every Sunday, he took her for lunch after the passing of her husband and he was always there. His sisters Sharon and Dawn said he unintentionally created a place where men in his community could meet, chat, have a coffee and fix their cars, with the garage he had built at the side of the house. "Michael loved the company of others, and enjoyed working on cars, fixing them, and driving them, ever since he was a teenager.
He will be remembered not only for his kindness and passion for cars but his love for his family and friends and his quirky humour, his love of food and the countless positive impacts he had on so many lives. "We all thank you for being a part of our lives. We will miss you and love you forever." Michael's family are currently being supported by specialist officers from Durham Constabulary.
The area of the road near Brancepeth was closed in both directions for several hours to allow collision investigators to examine the scene, and the driver of the HGV was taken to hospital and later released. Anyone who witnessed the collision or has dashcam, and has not yet spoken to officers, is asked to get in touch by emailing [email protected], and quoting incident number 163 of July 1.
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