An 18-year-old has died after the electric motorcycle he was riding was involved in a collision with a van in North Tyneside. McKenzie Ratcliffe was riding the motorbike when it collided head-on with a Mercedes Sprinter van in the Meadow Well area of North Shields.
Collision details
The incident occurred at 5.25pm on Wednesday on Waterville Road. Emergency services, including the Great North Air Ambulance, were called to the scene. McKenzie Ratcliffe was found to have sustained serious injuries and died a short time later.
His family are being supported by officers from Northumbria Police, who are investigating the collision. The driver of the van, a man in his 60s, remained at the scene to assist officers with their enquiries.
Police appeal
Sergeant Craig Bartle, of the force's Roads Policing Unit (RPU), said: "Our thoughts are firmly with McKenzie's family and friends and we will offer them all of the support we can at this devastating time. We are carrying out a full investigation into the circumstances of the collision and have already undertaken several enquiries."
Bartle added: "I would ask anyone with information which could assist us to get in touch. We are particularly keen to hear from those with dash cam footage of the moments leading up to the collision between the bike and the van."
Emergency response
Paramedics from the North East Ambulance Service (NEAS) and the Great North Air Ambulance Service (GNAAS) attended the collision. The air ambulance flew a doctor to the scene.
A spokesperson for the GNAAS said: "Our critical care team was activated at 5.35pm to reports of a road traffic collision in North Shields. We had a paramedic and doctor on board our aircraft and they arrived on scene at 5.57pm."
A spokesperson for NEAS added: "We were called to a road traffic incident on Waterville Road, North Shields, shortly before 5.30pm on 19 August. We dispatched a double crewed ambulance, a specialist paramedic, a clinical team leader, a rapid response paramedic and one vehicle from our Hazardous Area Response Team. We were also supported by Great North Air Ambulance Service."
Northumbria Police is urging anybody with information or dashcam footage to contact them by sending a direct message on social media, using the live chat or report forms on the website, or calling 101. Please quote reference number: NP-20260819-0748.
