Tributes paid to ‘kindest and funniest’ cyclist, 68, who died following collision with car as woman arrested

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John Edward Carr, 68, who was killed in New Brighton on Friday. Picture: Handout

By Alex Storey

Tributes have been paid to a 68-year-old cyclist who died following a crash which saw a woman arrested. Loading audio...

Emergency services were alerted to reports of a collision where a cyclist had swerved to avoid a Nissan Micra and then collided into a stationary van waiting at traffic lights.

Police and medics rushed to the scene on Rowson Street, New Brighton in Merseyside, at about 11.30am on Friday.

The cyclist, who police have named as John Edward Carr from New Brighton, was taken to hospital in a critical condition but later died.

Rowson Street. Picture: Google

Following inquiries, a 65-year-old woman from Wallasey was arrested on suspicion of causing death by careless driving and failing to stop at the scene of a collision, Merseyside Police said.

She was taken to a police station for questioning and has since been released under investigation.

The van driver stopped at the scene and is assisting officers with their inquiries.

Mr Carr's family paid tribute to him as "one of the kindest, funniest, most open-minded people you could meet".

They said in a statement: "He had such a big heart and he never really lost that childlike sense of wonder.

"He could find joy in the simplest things, including staying up far too late playing golf games on his VR headset, or chuckling away at silly YouTube videos.

"He spent 27 years working as a cook in the Merchant Navy and had so many wild and hilarious stories from his life.

"He would never fail to make us laugh or look out for us and he always loved us unconditionally.

"We still can't understand how he has been taken from us so suddenly.

It doesn't feel real.

"We don't want him to just become another headline. He was a real person.

"He was loved and he mattered."

Detective Sergeant Kurt Timpson, the lead investigating officer from Merseyside Police's serious collision investigation unit, said in a statement before Mr Carr was named: "First and foremost, my thoughts and those of my team are with the man's family at this desperately sad time.

The family of John Edward Carr, aged 68, who died following a collision in New Brighton yesterday, have released the following tribute: "He was one of the kindest, funniest, most open minded people you could meet.

He had such a big heart and he never really lost that childlike... pic.twitter.com/oPdT4dze10[4]

-- Merseyside Police (@MerseyPolice) June 6, 2026[5]

"For someone to lose their life on the road is tragic and my priority now is to get answers for his family.

"Although a woman was later traced and arrested, we are still keen to gather as much dashcam and other footage as possible.

"Please check any devices and come forward if you live, work or were passing the area around the time of the collision.

"Front and rear dashcams can often capture vital evidence without the driver being aware. Please review those devices and if you can help, get in touch with our team.

"Any help we receive, no matter how insignificant it may seem, could be vital as we build a picture of what happened.

"I also want to thank the members of the public who rushed to help the man as he lay injured. It's often the case that we see the very best of human nature after such distressing events."

References

1. ^ Want LBC stories before everyone else?

   Set us as your Preferred Source on Google (www.google.com)

2. ^ Man, 35, stabbed to death as two men and woman arrested on suspicion of murder (www.lbc.co.uk)
3. ^ Three Brits admit their involvement in the killing of restaurant owner in Canada who was assaulted over 'unpaid bill' row (www.lbc.co.uk)
4. ^ pic.twitter.com/oPdT4dze10 (t.co)
5. ^ June 6, 2026 (x.com)