The family of a man who has been paralysed after a crash is appealing for witnesses to come forward.

John Hevey, 62, was riding a motorcycle on his way home from work at lunchtime to let in a gas man.

He collided with a car on the A1158 Eastern Avenue, Southend.

He suffered catastrophic injuries and doctors at the Royal London Hospital thought he would die.

John, who worked in the building trade and has five children and four grandchildren, has survived but has a very high spinal cord injury and is tetraplegic - meaning he cannot move his arms, legs, or body.

His daughter, Maria, said: “He is an incredibly kind man with a wicked sense of humour. He rides a motorbike but isn’t a biker as such - he’s a very sensible driver and would never put himself at risk.”

His sister, Margaret Burrows, added: “The accident has had a massive impact on his life. He used to be very fit and active.”

Fieldfisher, John’s lawyers, desperately need witnesses to come forward to enable them to get funding for John’s ongoing care following the crash at 1.20pm on May 21.

Harvinder Kaur, a lawyer on the case, said: “The police criminal investigation is ongoing but in the meantime, we need witnesses to help us piece together what happened to be able to ask the car driver’s insurance company for interim funding to pay for desperately needed specialist private medical care for John.

"While the NHS has done an amazing job so far, John’s injuries mean he needs additional, specialist care and rehab to get him back some quality of life. Without that, he may miss the vital window of opportunity to recover as far as possible.” Call Harvinder on 0207 861 4614