A MOTORIST who died when his car hit a tree on a country road had earlier stopped to assist at the scene of another accident.

Richard Stockill - known as Rusty to his friends - had been driving from a snooker game on Sunday when he came across a collision on the Leavening to Acklam road, outside Norton.

The 28-year-old former bar manager, who recently moved to Acklam from Pocklington, helped the emergency services deal with the incident before he continued on his journey.

Humberside Police said Richard died when his green Vauxhall Cavalier left an unclassified road and crashed into the tree.

Richard's father, John, who used to own the Black Swan, in Pocklington, said: "He was working on Sunday morning and he went to work early in Sheffield. He came back to have a game of snooker in Pocklington and then came back at 1.30pm.

"There had been an accident just before a junction and he could not get past - a 4x4 had collided with an old couple in a car and the ambulance arrived the same time as Richard did.

"They chucked a jacket to him and asked if he could stop traffic coming through."

North Yorkshire Police said that a LandRover had collided with a Nissan Sunny at around 1pm, although the drivers and passengers in both vehicles were taken to York Hospital with minor cuts and bruises.

"Eventually he was relieved, but because he could not get through he went another way," explained Mr Stockill.

"He had never been on that road before, and whether he was distressed because of the accident, I really don't know.

"He was obviously in a rush, and took a corner badly."

Mr Stockill, his wife Liz and Richard had recently moved to Acklam after selling their Pocklington pub.

Richard had gone back to work for a local firm fitting and installing walls in supermarkets, but his father said he was still well-known throughout Pocklington.

"My son worked for me and he ran the pub, although he'd got a degree from Leeds in mineral engineering." he said.

"Everyone called him Rusty, he was 6ft 4in and he had long ginger hair. He liked heavy metal music and was always in black - he was just so individual."

The family had been inundated with cards and flowers, explained Mr Stockill.

"A lot of his friends were at the Black Swan on Wednesday - they called it Rusty's Bar."

Mr Stockill said he understood buses had been organised to take people to Octon Crematorium for a funeral service today. Afterwards, mourners had been invited to the Manor House pub in Fridaythorpe. "We are a very close family," added Mr Stockill, "Richard got on so well with his brother and sister."

Updated: 10:32 Friday, March 14, 2003