The family of a man who sadly died following an incident whereby two cyclists were hit by a car on Teesside have released a tribute to their 'hero.' 

The incident happened Homerton Road/Gribdale Road on Saturday, August 21, have paid tribute to him.

37-year-old Carl Eland, who was a father from the North Ormesby area, sadly passed away on Wednesday, August 25 after suffering serious injuries in the incident.

Today, Carl’s family said that his “first loves were his children” and called him their “hero”.

The statement, written by Leona Eland, Carl’s mother, said: “Carl’s first loves were his children; born first Nevaeh, Jasmin, Jack-Carl and Zion; he doted on his four children, he lived for them…They were his biggest accomplishment and achievement in life, he knew he had done something right to deserve those beautiful creations.”

Carl’s family also said that he “became very attached to dogs and was an animal lover” with a number of pets.

The family praised Carl for “running into a burning building to save the life of a person who he thought could have been stuck in there” and paid tribute to their “hero”.

Specialist officers continue to support the family at this difficult time.

Detectives continue to appeal to anyone with information to call 101 and quote incident number 140970.

Footage can also be uploaded directly here: https://unitedkingdom1cpp-portal.digital-policing.co.uk/cleveland/appeal/appeal-after-man-seriously-injured-in-middlesbrough Independent charity Crimestoppers can also be contacted anonymously on 0800 555 111, or online at www.crimestoppers-uk.org.

Keep up to date with all the latest news on our website, or follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

You can also follow our dedicated Teesside Facebook page for all the latest in the area by clicking here.

For all the top news updates from right across the region straight to your inbox, sign up to our newsletter here.

Have you got a story for us? Contact our newsdesk on newsdesk@nne.co.uk or contact 01325 505054