Tributes paid to 'precious' man who died in horror crash as two others still fight for lives
A family has paid tributes to a “precious” man who died in a horror crash that left five people injured - two of whom are still fighting for their lives.
The three-car collision happened near New Alresford around 12.44pm on Saturday December 27 involving a Chevrolet Captiva, a Ford Mondeo and a Honda Civic between Bishop’s Sutton Road and Whitehill Lane.
Sadly, despite the efforts of emergency services and members of the public who provided initial first aid, 34-year-old Patrick Dane from Chichester was pronounced dead at the scene. Patrick had been a passenger in the Honda at the time of the collision.
Following the collision, five patients were transported to Southampton General Hospital by a combination of land and air ambulances. Two of these patients, a man in his 70s and a woman in her 60s, remain in a critical condition.
Three others, a woman in her 30s, a man in his 30s and a five-year-old boy suffered serious injuries but remain in hospital in a stable condition.
Patrick’s family have now released the following tribute statement: "When we lose someone who is near and precious to us, especially without warning, it leaves different sized and shaped voids in our lives and on our souls. This is what our very precious Patrick Dane leaves with all of us who shared in his life, and lived as his family and friends. These voids are personal yet also shared collectively with the members of the expansive circle of love that surrounded Patrick.
“The Dane family's loss is extraordinarily acute, and life will never be the same. It is as if the colour blue has been taken out of the world suddenly. The world will continue to exist, but it will always seem that something crucial is lost and missing. He was our son, our brother, our heart, our history. The pride we had for him and the love we still have for him will be his beautiful legacy to us.
“His friends will miss his extraordinary camaraderie, unflinching support, biting wit, sharp extraordinary intelligence and unwavering loyalty to them.
“Having forged his own path into his career, the world of Gaming and Journalism has lost a stellar presence and the wider world will notice and mourn the echo of his absence.
“What Patrick has left behind with us will never leave us. We have been changed and immensely blessed by having him in our presence for the time he was with us. We will all be altered by his absence. Patrick may not be available to us now, but the essence that was ‘Patrick’ always will be. The loss of Patrick has deeply marked our worlds and into worlds not seen by us left behind. As one of his great friends has said, ‘He is the Guardian of the Light.’ May it shine with us, and his light guard us. Rest well.”
Officers continue to investigate the collision. Anyone with information, including dashcam footage, should contact 101, quoting 44250580645, or report online: https://www.hampshire.police.uk/tua/tell-us-about/cor/tell-us-about-existing-case-report/