A MOTORCYCLIST who died in a crash has been called a “life-saver” and a “big man with a big heart.”

Nick Barry, 45, from Boscombe, died in a collision with a car near the KFC on Ashley Road, Parkstone, on Sunday.

He was riding his Kawasaki 1,000cc towards Sea View when the accident happened just past the junction with Weymouth Road at around 5.50pm.

The car, which had been travelling in the opposite direction, was a Peugeot 306 driven by a 30-year-old woman with her 12-year-old daughter in the front passenger seat. The driver was turning right into a parking bay.

Despite efforts by police, members of the public and ambulance staff to revive him, Mr Barry died at the scene.

Friends laying floral tributes yesterday remembered Mr Barry for helping other people through Narcotics Anonymous.

One said: “He saved a lot of lives. He just wanted people to get what he had, which was peace and contentment after years of abuse.

“He was a Narcotics Anonymous sponsor from the moment he opened his eyes in the morning to the moment he went to bed. He constantly gave of himself.”

She said Mr Barry loved his motorbike and drumming in a band. He was thought to be on his way to band practice when the accident happened.

“He was the type of man who looked after everybody around and restored your faith in what a gentleman should be,” said the woman.

Another friend leaving flowers said: “He saved a hell of a lot of people. He was a big man with a big heart.

“If you wanted to look up to someone, he’s worth looking up to.

“Everybody was his friend. You’ve witnessed the death of someone who counted.”

The accident happened at a spot where traffic turns across the road to park in front a shopping parade.

Wayne Robinson, owner of Fishy on the Dishy, which overlooks the scene, arrived shortly after the crash.

“The bike was still in the road and everything had been cordoned off,” he said.

“What sickened me was the spectators. People just wanted to see.”

Cemal Altun, owner of the nearby Best-One Express shop, said: “About 5.50pm I saw a lot of police cars and all the customers were telling me about it.

“It’s the first crash like that I’ve seen here and I’ve been here four years.”

The mother and daughter in the Peugeot were treated for extreme shock.

Witnesses, or anyone who saw either vehicle beforehand, should contact Dorset Police on 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.