THE family of a former paratrooper who died when his bicycle was in collision with a car has paid a moving tribute to a ‘wonderful son, brother, uncle, dad and fiancé who was loved by all’.
Rodger Cusworth, a scaffolder from Piddletrenthide in the Dorchester area, was involved in a collision involving his bicycle and a black Ford Focus on the A354 Portland Beach Road at 6.53am on Monday, November 15.
It is understood that the 35-year-old had been in collision with another cyclist prior to the fatal crash.
Since his death, glowing tributes have been paid to Mr Cusworth, who has been described as a ‘true gent in every sense of the word’. One spoke of it being ‘a pleasure to have served with you’.
'Rodger will be sadly missed by so many people as he touched everyone’s lives in some way' - Family's moving tribute to crash victim
Lisa Cusworth, Rodger’s sister, has paid tribute to her brother on behalf of their family.
She described him as a 'funny' big brother who 'looked out for us' and the 'perfect role model’ to her and her siblings growing up.
She said: “Rodger was loved by all - it didn’t matter if they had only one chat with him, he was instantly loved.
“His sense of humour was amazing even as a younger lad. Having three younger siblings, you can imagine the wind ups he used to pull especially when we went on our annual camping holidays which was full of jokes and mischief.
“Rodger’s smile was very infectious also - even when he was getting told off by his parents he couldn’t hide that big cheeky smile of his.
“Don’t know how he got into the army as they have to be serious and he was everything but serious. But he was very determined to do it.”
His family were ‘very proud’ when Rodger joined the army when he was 16 and trained to become a paratrooper.
They spoke of how Rodger had plenty of friends when he became an elite paratrooper ‘which turned into extended family for us as he used to bring them home with him all the time'.
After being stationed in Colchester, Rodger decided to leave the army to start a family with his fiancé, and her son.
Together they welcomed a son into the world as the family moved to Dorset and Rodger started working at Sunseeker on Portland.
Lisa added: “We are so very proud as his mum and dad said he lived his life to the full and did so much with his life like he always wanted from being little.
“Rodger will be sadly missed by so many people as he touched everyone’s lives in some way. He made so many people laugh, if you were feeling down he would know exactly what to say or do to cheer you up.
“Rodger will be leaving so many people behind who loved him dearly especially his family who have lots of great memories with him.”
A GoFundMe page set up by friend Gerard Benfield which has already raised more than £9,000.
More than 450 people have already donated to the fund, which aims to raise money for his funeral and support his family. The fundraiser can be found at https://bit.ly/30IgS7i
Rodger’s family were left touched and ‘really grateful’ by the number of donations and numerous tributes paid to him.
Latest in crash investgations
An inquest has opened at Bournemouth Coroner's Court into his death with a cause of death one of multiple injuries due to a road traffic collision. The inquest was adjourned to allow further investigations to be carried out.
Sergeant Dave Cotterill, of Dorset Police’s traffic unit, previous said: “Our thoughts are with the family and friends of the man who sadly died.
“We understand the cyclist was involved in a collision with another cyclist shortly before this incident and would urge anyone who witnessed either collision to please come forward.
“I am also appealing to any motorists who were travelling in the area and may have captured anything of relevance on dashcam footage.”
The driver of the Ford, a woman in her 40s from Portland, was arrested on suspicion of a driving offence and is currently assisting officers with their enquiries. She was later released under investigation.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Dorset Police at www.dorset.police.uk, via email scit@dorset.pnn.police.uk or by calling 101, quoting incident number 15:56.
Alternatively, to stay 100 per cent anonymous, contact the independent charity Crimestoppers online at Crimestoppers-uk.org or call Freephone 0800 555 111.
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