A CAR crash which claimed the life of a 21-year-old Morecambe man was described as a scene of carnage by firefighters. Front seat passenger Robert Alvarez, of Clarence Street, died from serious head injuries after the Peugeot 106 he was travelling in hit a lamp post on Torrisholme Road in the early hours of Sunday morning. Three other passengers and the driver had to be cut free from the wreckage by firefighters using hydraulic equipment and they were taken to the Royal Lancaster Infirmary.

Mark Pilling, 17, of Bateman Road, Morecambe, was treated for serious head injuries in intensive care and was later said to be in a stable condition.

Leslie Rachel Hicks-Armstrong, 18, of Lancaster Road, Morecambe, was treated for facial injuries and Jamie Samuels, 21, of Arnside Crescent, Morecambe suffered a fractured arm and ankle.

Steven Newstead, 19, of Bare, was discharged from hospital with cuts.

Station officer Tony Burscoe said: "The accident was a very distressing scene and it was in a residential area so there were quite a number of people coming out to see what was going on."

The accident, at about 2am, took place on a bend close to the junction with Scale Hall Lane. A police investigation is under way to find out exactly what happened. Family's grief at tragic loss M-$THE family of 21-year-old Robert Alvarez spoke to the Citizen about their grief.

Robert worked at Morrisons in Morecambe and was one of a family of five children. He lived in Spain for two years as well as attending Morecambe High School.

His mum explained: "He was so full of life and always joking. He loved football and was supposed to be playing for Morrisons football team the day after the accident."

"Everything was going so well for him. He got a job after being unemployed for a long time and was planning to take driving lessons and buy a car. It's such a waste of life, I cannot believe it."

The front room of Robert's home on Clarence Street is decorated with the odd picture of him - one a school photograph taken when he was about 15-years-old.

"He hated having his picture taken, I've barely got any recent photos of him and I'm trying to put a photo album together," added Mrs Alvarez.

The scene of the accident has been marked with flowers from colleagues, friends and family.

Mrs Alvarez said the whole family were struggling to come to terms with the accident. "Robert had a strong personality, he was not quiet, he was the kind of person you'd remember when you'd met him."

"His sister Amy keeps hugging him at the mortuary, she's shattered, he was something special to her."

Robert's funeral takes place this Monday (July 28) at St Mary's Church, Morecambe, at 12.15pm.

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