A YOUNG soldier who returned to the North-East to man Green Goddesses during the firefighters' strike died in a crash at the end of his duties, it emerged yesterday.

In a bizarre twist of fate, the fatal accident was passed by one of the victim's senior officers, who went to help not knowing one of his soldiers was involved.

Christopher Horvath, 20, of Marske, in east Cleveland, had been stationed at Brambles Farm Territorial Army base in Middlesbrough with his squadron from The Light Dragoons during last week's 48-hour strike.

Having earned a long-weekend of leave, he set off to visit friends in Hull but his car veered off the A1 near Micklefield, West Yorkshire, and overturned at 1.30pm on Saturday.

He died in the ambulance taking him to hospital.

The former pupil of Marske's Bydales School was a trooper with The Light Dragoons and had been based in Dereham, Norfolk, for the past three years.

Captain Kevin Smith, of the Light Dragoons, had also been stationed on Teesside during the fire strike and had been travelling on the same stretch of A1 at the time of the crash. He left his car to see if he could offer help, only to discover Christopher was involved.

Christopher's father, also called Christopher, of Coulby Newham, near Middlesbrough, said: "It's as if he is still away on Army exercises and we are just waiting for him to come home."

Christopher's mother, Val Smith, and stepfather Shaun Flynn, of Redcar, said they were also taking comfort from the fact Capt Smith was with him during the last moments of his life.

Christopher's funeral, to include a military ten-gun salute and pall-bearers, is at St Peter's Church, Redcar, at 10.15am on Saturday.

An inquest has been opened and adjourned in West Yorkshire.