Horsham motorcyclist dies in New Zealand crash

A Horsham man has died following a motorcycle crash in New Zealand on Wednesday (January 9) afternoon.

By The Newsroom

Published 11th Jan 2013, 06:45 BST

Allan Ford, 73, is reported to have collided head-on with a truck carrying propane gas.

Emergency services arrived on State Highway Six in the Nelson region at around 2.30pm.

News publications in the area say that Mr Ford’s Ducati motorbike caught fire on impact.

The truck cab also caught alight but the driver managed to escape and douse the flames with his onboard fire extinguisher before they reached the gas.

A road between Hira and Rai Valley was closed and reopened about 5.30pm.

Mr Ford was on holiday and riding with four other motorcyclists when the accident happened.

No one else was injured in the crash.

If you would like to pay tribute to Mr Ford please contact the County Times news desk on 01403 751267 or email [email protected]