Tributes to OAP who died after falling off bike

Dec 18 2009 By Emma Heseltine

Mr Ottewell came off his bike at the junction of Brighton Road and Church Road in Addlestone

NEIGHBOURS of a pensioner who died falling from his bike, have paid tribute to a friendly and community minded man.

Kenneth Ottewell, of Meadowlands, Addlestone, who was in his eighties, died at St Peter's Hospital, Chertsey, after he fell from his bicycle at the junction of Brighton Road and Church Road in Addlestone on Monday evening, December 7.

Police closed several roads and an ambulance was called at about 7pm, and Mr Ottewell was taken to St Peter's Hospital in a critical condition, but he later died.

Denise Cooper, 62, who has lived in Meadowlands for six years, said: "I knew Ken for a number of years and he was always smiling, always happy to help anyone out. He used to help anyone who needed it and you would always see him riding around on his bicycle. He was still very active – more so than the rest of us.

"It's just such a tragedy that a relatively healthy man, even though he was in his eighties, should be taken from us like that. We are all devastated. I don't know if he had a family, but they must be absolutely heartbroken."

It is thought that Mr Ottewell was taken ill before he fell from his bicycle.

Another resident in the mobile home park, Pat Welsh, 54, said: "It's terribly sad that he has gone like this. I used to chat to him nearly every day about what had been going on and about my family and our friends and things like that. He always had time for me.

"People around here are going to miss him a lot, he was very well-loved, he was friendly, and he's always help people – very community minded. It's not the way we thought he would go."

Police have not released the results of a post mortem examination, which took place last week. However, they are not treating the death as suspicious and are not looking for a third party in connection with the incident.