Darlington parents of Beamish accident victim pay tribute to "our little prince of steam"

Karl Doran, from Darlington, died after apparently falling from a steam traction engine at Beamish Museum, near Stanley , County Durham, which was being driven by his father, Phillip.

The Whinfield Primary School pupil, who was a steam enthusiast and regularly volunteered at the open-air museum with his father, suffered fatal head injuries during the incident on Sunday afternoon.

His father and mother, Karen Bolam, from Darlington, said their son had died “doing something he loved”.

They said: “Karl enjoyed martial arts, swimming and cycling, but he was never happier than when he was at Beamish.

“We take some small comfort from knowing that he died doing something he loved.

“He was our little prince of steam, covered in coal dust, soot and loving every second. He will be missed forever.

“We have been overwhelmed by the messages of condolence we have received since our much-loved little boy died and want to thank everyone for their kind words.”

An inquest into Karl’s death was yesterday opened and adjourned at Crook Coroner’s Court, in County Durham, and an investigation is being carried out by Durham Police and Health and Safety Executive is continuing.

An appeal set up by Andrew Barnes to fund a permanent memorial to Karl at Beamish was last night heading past the £1,000 mark after more than 65 donations were pledged on the Just Giving website.

The original target was £500 and a number of tributes to Karl have also been left, including one from Alison Rissetto, who said: “My thoughts go out to your family and friends at this difficult time. Our school will not be the same without you.”

A statement from Beamish Museum thanked everyone who had contributed to the total.

It said: “We have been overwhelmed by the generous donations already received and we will continue to work together with Karl’s family to create a fitting tribute to his memory.”

Karl’s funeral will take place next Thursday.