A family have paid tribute to a ‘brave grandad’ who has passed away two months after being involved in a collision with a car.

William Hart, 69, of Cumberland Drive, Clayton-le-Moors was recovering at Royal Blackburn Hospital following the incident when he was gripped by pneumonia and died on Tuesday, August 26.

He was involved in a collision with a car after attending a charity fundraiser for a family friend who suffers with motor neurone disease at Clayton-le-Moors Conservative Club on Saturday, June 21.

He suffered head and pelvic injuries during the incident on Whalley Road.

The dad-of-three, grandfather to seven and great-grandfather to one has been described by his family as a ‘legend’ in pubs throughout the area.

Daughter Sherly Hart, 40, who was attending the fundraiser with her father said it was a ‘devastating shock’.

She said: “We were having a charity day for my friends father who has got motor neurone disease and while the bands were having a break my dad was nipping across to the Albion. It was a bit of a blind spot and my dad stepped out.

“Everyone came out from the pub and me and my sister were with him, it was such a shock.”

Sherly said that her dad, who was a retired HGV driver, was steadily improving until he ‘took a turn for the worse’ on Monday, August 25.

She said: “He was critically ill when he arrived at hospital, but the doctors thought he would survive.

“He was in coma and could not move his right side to begin with but then he started improving.

“He woke up and started talking again and he was responding to questions, he was even complaining to nurses! But then the pneumonia set in and he was not strong enough to fight it.

“On Monday he took a turn for the worst and he passed away on the Tuesday afternoon. We are all devastated.”

Sherly described her father as a ‘brave’ man who not only fought and beat prostate cancer in his retirement, but was also dealing with the early onset of Alzheimer’s disease.

Sherly said: “He battled prostate cancer for nine years and had radiotherapy before it went into remission. He was a very brave man.

“We are all shocked but we are a very close family, we all live a few streets away from each other and are supporting each other.”

Sherly said that the family would soon be welcoming another child to family who will be named William in memory of her father.

A funeral is due to be held at All Saints Church in Clayton-le-Moors on Friday, September 5. Lancashire Police are currently appealing for information about the collision.

Sgt Lee Campbell, of the Lancashire’s Road Policing Unit, said: “This was a tragic incident and I would appeal for anyone who witnessed this collision or who has any information, and who has not yet spoken to police, to contact us.”

Anyone with information should contact Lancashire Police on 101 quoting log number 1577 of June 21.