Tributes have been paid to a coach driver from the North East who died in a crash in the French Alps. The Classic Coaches vehicle was carrying ski resort staff back to the UK from Alpe d'Huez, with Newcastle being its final destination.
Tributes have been paid to a heroic County Durham coach driver who is believed to have died trying to stop his malfunctioning vehicle going over a ravine in the Alps.
Maurice Wrightson died when the coach he was driving left the road on Tuesday, smashing into rocks before bursting into flames.
Friends and family left scores of comments on a Facebook tribute page for the driver, who worked for Classic Coaches, based at Annfield Plain.
He is understood to have been a driver since the 1960s, and other tributes came in from bus and coach drivers across the country praising him for his actions.
Wendy Wrightson described him as "a good man who lost his life far too soon but lost it a hero doing what he did best".
Heath Williams, managing director of TGM, the coach firm's parent company, paid tribute to Mr Wrightson, saying he would be "sadly missed".
"I would personally like to thank the local community for their amazing donations of food, toiletries and clothing. "
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