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Ex-bike shop owner killed in crash
A FAMILY today told of their grief after a well-known South Tyneside cyclist died from a horrific road crash.
Grandad Norman Fay, 72, was heading to a cycling rally with a friend on the A167 near Darlington, when a Citron C4 collided with them.
Both men, who were knocked unconscious, were airlifted to James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough by the Great North Air Ambulance, but Mr Fay later died.
Mr Fay was well-known across South Shields for his cycling expertise.
He and his wife Marion opened their own shop in South Eldon Street, now demolished, in the 1960s.
They later moved the business to Dean Road, where it has been ever since.
Today his son, Norman Jnr, 43, who took over the business in 2006 after his parents retired, said: "Cycling was my dad's whole life. It was something he loved.
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"Whenever he had any stresses, he used cycling as a way to get rid of them."
He added: "A police officer turned up to the shop and I had an awful feeling. He told me dad had died in a terrible accident.
"We are just trying to cope with the news at the moment."
Thirty years ago, Norman Fay Snr was one of only a handful of craftsmen in the country producing hand-made cycle frames, even inventing revolutionary new parts.
The second cyclist, who has not been officially named but is from South Shields, is being treated in hospital for leg and neck injuries. His injuries are not described as life-threatening.
Neil Banner, a rapid response paramedic from Newton Aycliffe, was first at the scene.
He said: "It is quite difficult to deal with three patients at once, and you have to prioritise the patient with the greatest need while keeping an eye on the rest.
"Two men and two women who were passing when the accident happened stayed with the patients and kept talking to them, and they kept me informed in case their condition changed.
"They were driving by and they saw the accident happen.
"One of them was an off-duty nurse who managed to apply a couple of dressings to one of the men's heads."
The Darlington Cycling Festival is currently being held in and around the town, with up to 20 different rides for all abilities.
The crash was the latest in a series of fatal accidents to happen on the A167 between Darlington and Northallerton after a six-year-old boy died in a three-car collision in April last year, and a 39-year-old motorcyclist was killed in a smash two months later.
Yesterday morning the stretch of road claimed another victim, when a 21-year-old driver died after colliding with a tree.
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Weather for South Shields
Tuesday 07 February 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: -3 C to 6 C
Wind Speed: 9 mph
Wind direction: South west
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: -2 C to 1 C
Wind Speed: 10 mph
Wind direction: South
