A £10,000 fundraiser has been launched to help the wife and teenage daughter of a lorry driver who died in a crash on the A2.

Mario Pinto, 48, may have had a heart attack at the wheel of his cab before ploughing into a hedge near the Tuck Inn cafe at Newington, Sittingbourne on Monday.

He was flown to King's College Hospital, London, by air ambulance but was later pronounced dead.

He leaves a wife, Sirlei, and daughter Flavia who celebrated her 16th birthday in June. The family live in Alicante, Spain.

Mr Pinto was a driver for Spanish company Eurocruz Transportes. He was born in Angola and had live in Portugal for a while before moving to Spain.

A GoFundMe group has been set up by friend Karina Marquês to help pay for his funeral costs. Donations now stand at £1,500.

She said: "We have created this group hoping to raise funds to help with funeral costs and other expenses that our dear friends Flávia and Sirlei might have.

"Mário sadly passed away suddenly. He was the sole provider for his family: Flávia is his beautiful daughter and Sirlei is his caring wife.

"They are a very special family who have helped a lot of people in their lifetime.

"We are hoping to help them through these devastating circumstances.

"We really appreciate your support.

"God bless you all."

She added: "He was a very precious person and helped a lot of people throughout his life. He was a very kind and selfless soul."

She met him in England through a church five years ago.

To view the fundraising page click here

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