Family’s tribute to ‘devoted dad’ who died in A167 collision

The family of a devoted dad who died in a motorcycle collision have paid tribute to him, saying he died ‘doing something he truly loved’.

Sean Forster was riding a Yamaha 600cc motorbike when he was involved in a collision on the A167 near Ferryhill in the early hours of Wednesday morning (August 5).

Sadly, the 38-year-old, of Peterlee, was pronounced dead at the scene.

In a heartfelt tribute, his family described him as a devoted dad to son, Dylan, and a beloved son, stepson, and brother.

“Everyone who knows Sean has commented on him being the happiest he’s been in years since joining the biking community, and although this has been an awful tragedy, he has passed doing something he truly loved,” they said.

“We are receiving lots of lovely messages from his biking community all describing Sean as a wonderful friend, which is incredibly heartwarming for us to hear given the many obstacles faced over his lifetime. We are grateful to them giving him such a wonderful experience these past few months. 

“We’d also like to sincerely thank his friends who tried to save him. Our thoughts are with them and everyone who has been affected by this awful incident.”

Sean’s pillion passenger, a woman in her twenties, sustained life-changing injuries as a result of the collision.

She was taken to the University Hospital of North Durham before being transferred to the Royal Victoria Infirmary, in Newcastle, for treatment, where she remains in a stable condition.

An investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident is ongoing, and officers would like to speak to any witnesses, or those who may have dashcam or CCTV footage of the bike prior to the collision.

The bike is believed to have been travelling northbound from Chilton to Ferryhill at the time of the incident, which happened at 1.05am.

If you can help, please contact Durham Constabulary’s Serious Collision Investigation Unit by email at [email protected] quoting incident number 12 of August 5.