Australian tourist on dream trip was crushed to death by a lorry at Yorkshire beauty spot

The daughter of an Australian tourist who was killed in an accident at Aysgarth Falls has been unable to have his body returned home after coronavirus grounded flights.
John Spurling in HarrogateJohn Spurling in Harrogate
John Spurling in Harrogate

John Spurling, 74, was crossing a bridge at the Dales beauty spot on March 12 when he was struck by a HGV and crushed between the vehicle and the bridge. He died at the scene.

The grandfather from Western Australia had hired a car in Leeds earlier in the week and was travelling between Whitby and Hawes when he decided to stop at Aysgarth Falls..

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John's daughter Sonya Martin has been unable to have his body repatriated as the coronavirus crisis has grounded flights, so the family have instead chosen to have him cremated and will return to the UK at a later date to collect his ashes.

John and his grandson Noah outside the Bettys Christmas window in HarrogateJohn and his grandson Noah outside the Bettys Christmas window in Harrogate
John and his grandson Noah outside the Bettys Christmas window in Harrogate

The retired industrial relations expert had set off on a dream trip to Europe after the death of his wife in 2019, and joined Sonya, her husband Wayne and son Noah at a property they were renting in Harrogate for the year.

The family had already visited Vienna and Prague and spent Christmas with a friend in Doncaster before John flew back to Australia. He returned to Yorkshire in late February and they enjoyed trips to the Lake District, Scarborough and the Dales together.

"On the day he was driving to Hawes from Whitby, he had a video call with us and my sister back in Australia. Later that night Wayne got a call to say that he had died. He had only been travelling with Australian documents and had given his home address to the car hire company, so the police struggled to trace us. They eventually got hold of my father-in-law."

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North Yorkshire Police traffic officer Sgt Paul Cording then visited Sonya at her Harrogate flat to offer support.

"Paul was lovely - we don't know many people in England so he sat with me, we had a cup of tea and we had a video call with my family in which he explained what had happened to my dad. He offered to drive me up to the hospital in Northallerton the next day to identify his body.

"I got a flight home the day after and arrived back in Australia only a few hours before the quarantine rules were enforced, but we decided to self-isolate anyway. We had been trying to get his funeral organised , but then with the escalation of coronavirus we decided to get him cremated and leave his ashes with friends. When the world calms down we'll collect them and hold a service here. We're in limbo but we can't really do anything

"It's been awful - we would never have dreamt that this could happen. We have only just held a funeral for my mum and haven't scattered her ashes yet."

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John had served in the Australian Navy as a young man and in retirement was involved in an Irish theatre group, taking charge of lighting and sound production. He had travelled all over the world to attend Fringe festivals.

Shortly before his death, he had visited the street in Grimsby where his own father had been born before emigrating to Australia.

"There was a real outpouring of love from the theatre group, because he was a doer - he would help everyone and get things done. He was very active and a young 74 - he was robust and healthy. He walked every day and was very strong. He had a lot of friends and he said he was busier now than he'd ever been.

"He loved Yorkshire. We went to lots of little towns like Pateley Bridge, Grassington and Malton, and he loved the scenery, the greenery, the cold and the snow. The police have found his camera now and we know it'll be full of photos.

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"He found his father's birthplace in Grimsby and he loved the fishing heritage there, because of his own naval background."

Sonya admits she was shocked when the police drove her through Aysgarth Falls to see how narrow the roads were and the size of the HGVs using them.

"The roads and that bridge are so narrow. The police pointed out a lorry of similar size to the one involved and I was surprised such a huge truck could be in the vicinity.

"The driver is only 28 and he was apparently very upset. This will change his life forever too, and we have sympathy for him.

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"Dad's life has been so tragically and suddenly lost when he was just crossing a bridge, of all things. It seems so unfair - the chances of it happening are one in a million. He was just out enjoying himself. We were using the Harrogate flat as a base for travelling and we were all supposed to be going to Ireland in the summer."

North Yorkshire Police have arrested a 28-year-old man from Cheshire on suspicion of causing death by careless driving. He has been released pending further investigation.