Heartbroken family pay tribute to son with ‘the most caring heart’
A Bristol family have been left heartbroken with the sudden loss of their 20-year-old son and brother. Josh Pitt died after a crash between a van and a lorry near Tiverton in Devon last Wednesday (July 26, 2023).
His mum Leanne, who lives in Shirehampton[1], said she was in disbelief over the loss of her oldest son, who she described as her best friend. She said that Josh had looked after her and his three brothers, Jayden, Leo and Leighton and was devoted to his partner, Chloi and her toddler son.
She said Josh and Chloi had been together for two years and that: “He idealised them and the little boy called him dad.” Josh was also well-known in motocross circles and spent most weekends at the track.
She said: “We have received over 600 messages of love and support. Josh would have helped anybody, he was so popular and if anyone had a problem with a bike or moped, he would fix it for them.
“Josh still had so much to do, he had so many plans, I don’t know how I’m going to get over this,” his devastated mum said. Josh’s brother Jayden has started a GoFundMe fundraiser[3] to help towards funeral costs.
Josh Pitt was well-known in motocross circles (Image: Leanne Pitt)
In a moving tribute to his brother, Jayden said that Josh “was a warrior, he wasn’t ever scared. I don’t know what I’m going to do without you”.
The fundraising page[4] has already raised over £4,000 and Jayden thanked everyone for their love and support. He said: “You don’t realise what you have until it’s gone. I almost feel sorry for the people who never got to meet him, he was so toughened up and respected by everyone, yet had the softest most caring heart.”
Jayden said his brother “loved, lived and breathed bikes and his passion for cars was just starting to grow as well”. With messages of support pouring in on social media, friends described Josh as a “true gentleman” and another posted that if she was ever down, “he would always make her smile”.
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The family said funeral arrangements were still to be finalised, but said everyone who knew Josh was welcome. His mum said they wanted “as many bikes and cars as possible to follow him on his final journey”.
Josh, who was working as a delivery driver and was driving a van, was involved in a head-on collision with a HGV on the North Devon Link Road at Loxbeare. The driver of the lorry was uninjured.
Police have appealed for witnesses and any dashcam footage to assist the investigation[6] into the crash. Police can be contacted by calling 101 quoting log 441, 26 July.
References
- ^ Shirehampton (www.bristolpost.co.uk)
- ^ New driving laws to come into force today as pavement parkers could be faced with fines (www.bristolpost.co.uk)
- ^ GoFundMe fundraiser (www.gofundme.com)
- ^ fundraising page (www.gofundme.com)
- ^ signing up to our daily newsletter (www.bristolpost.co.uk)
- ^ the investigation (www.bristolpost.co.uk)