TWINS who have been left without their mother this Christmas after she died in a road accident described her as an angel.

Eleven-year-olds Sarah and Ryan Morgan spoke of their heartbreak in a joint statement last night after their mother, Liz, died on Monday.

Mrs Morgan, a nurse with the North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Trust, was involved in a three-car accident on the A689 near Rushyford, County Durham, at 10.55am.

Mrs Morgan, 50, of Abbey Gardens, Willington, County Durham, was taken by air ambulance to The James Cook University Hospital, in Middlesbrough, where she was pronounced dead.

Sarah and Ryan said: “Mummy, we will always love you and miss you forever and ever. You will always be an angel.”

Mrs Morgan’s family, including her husband, Alan, 52, described her as a devoted and much-loved wife, mother, daughter and sister, who will be sadly missed.

A joint statement read: “Liz’s untimely death will leave a huge void in the lives of everyone who knew and loved her, through her home life and in her profession as an intensive care nurse.”

Police are still trying to establish what happened, but believe Mrs Morgan’s car may have hit a Ford Fiesta as she tried to overtake a line of slow-moving traffic.

Her Seat Leon continued onto the opposite carriageway and collided head-on with a Suzuki Vitara before both vehicles left the road. The carriageway was closed for about five hours.

The Suzuki driver, a 65-year-old woman from Rushyford, suffered a punctured lung and fractures to her ribs and arms. She was taken to Darlington Memorial Hospital, but her injuries are not thought to be life-threatening.

Her passenger, a 65-year-old man, also from Rushyford, suffered bruising and was also taken to Darlington Memorial Hospital and released that day.

The Ford driver, a 57-year-old woman from Chilton, County Durham, was uninjured.

Mrs Morgan joined the North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust in 1991 and was a popular member of staff.

Chris Greaves, the general manager for anaesthetics at the trust, said: “She was a very respected manager who was wellknown for her dedication to her patients and her staff.

“She was always bright and cheerful and proud of the standards she set in achieving a high quality of patient care.”

Anyone who saw the incident or the cars shortly before are asked to call 0191-375-2159.