A YOUNG soldier who returned to Cleveland to man Green Goddesses during the firefighters' strike died in a road crash at the end of his duties, it emerged this week.

In a 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, 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 in the wake of his duties 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 Pontefract General Hospital.

Christopher, a 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.

Capt 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.

Capt Smith 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 hasn't sunk in yet. It's as if he is still away on Army exercises and we are just waiting for him to come home.

"It was blessing that Capt Smith was there as I'm sure it would have been a great comfort to Christopher at the time, as it is to us now, knowing that he was with one of his own."

Christopher's mother Val Smith and his 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.

Lt Col Simon Levey, commanding officer of The Light Dragoons, paid tribute to the young soldier.

He said: "Christopher was an extremely popular young man and was held in the highest regard by all who knew him."

Christopher's funeral, which will include a ten-gun military salute, is at St Peter's Church, Redcar, at 10.15am tomorrow. An inquest in West Yorkshire has been adjourned .