by Chris Hunter

chunter@thekmgroup.co.uk

Tributes have been paid to a pensioner who was killed by a lorry after he walked onto a motorway.

A well-known figure at Ham Hill Working Men’s Club in Snodland, Derek Ringe was described by friends and former work colleagues as a lovely man and great character.

He died after being knocked down on the coastbound carriageway of the M20 at about 6pm on Saturday.

Police say Mr Ringe – who has not yet been officially identified – had parked his car off the carriageway near a footbridge at Junction 4 (Leybourne), before being hit by the lorry.

A Transit van and two other vehicles were also involved in the crash, but no one else was injured.

The coastbound carriageway was closed while emergency services attended, and reopened at 1am the following morning. Mr Ringe, 72, was pronounced dead at the scene.

Paul Gill, who owns Ham Hill Stores near Mr Ringe’s home in Apple Close, described Mr Ringe as “such a lovely bloke”.

People were still trying to work out exactly how he died, said Mr Gill.

“Someone said he parked on the side of the road and jumped in front of the lorry. Someone else said he was trying to flag them down. I don’t know what happened. I’ll miss him.”

Mr Ringe had previously worked as a welder at HE Services Plant Hire in Medway City Estate, Strood, before retiring in 2009.

Former colleague Pam Dury, sales and marketing director, said Derek was a “real old fashioned character” who was fun to be around, had many friends, and was good at his job.

She said the idea that Mr Ringe had committed suicide did not tally with the man she knew.

“Derek was well known and well liked by everybody,” she said. “We don’t know the truth. He doted on his wife – she had been ill for years and he looked after her. He would take her out; he did everything for her, so for him to do something like that is completely out of character.

“No one that knew Derek can believe he could have done anything like that.”

An investigation has been opened and a post mortem was due to be conducted on Thursday.