TRIBUTES have been paid by the family of a "fantastic dad" who was killed in a tragic crash.

Adam Gibb, 51, from Penrith, was pronounced dead at the scene of the collision on the M6 which involved a van and two cars.

The Highways England traffic officer was responding to a separate incident on the road when he was involved in the crash, which also left a colleague seriously injured.

Mr Gibb's family described him as a dedicated professional who enjoyed family life.

In a statement they said: “Adam was a fantastic dad and a wonderful husband and will be deeply missed.

“He enjoyed mountain biking, fell running and walking on the fells with our dogs. Adam loved his job and really enjoyed being part of the team there.”

Jim O’Sullivan, chief executive at Highways England, also commented on the incident.

He said: “Our thoughts are with the family, friends, and colleagues of the two Highways England traffic officers who were involved in this terrible incident. 

“The police are carrying out an investigation and we are assisting them in any way that we can." 

Mr O'Sullivan added that "everyone" working for the agency had been "deeply affected" by what had happened.

The crash which claimed Mr Gibb's life took place on Sunday (February 21) at around 12.45pm.

The southbound carriageway of the motorway was closed for almost nine hours following the three-vehicle collision.

A black Mercedes vehicle, driven by a 35-year-old man from Manchester, left the carriageway and hit the two men who were at the side of the road dealing with a separate incident.

The southbound carriageway was closed between junction 38 for Shap and junction 37 for Kendal until about 9.40pm, causing chaos on surrounding routes.

The northbound carriageway was closed for almost four hours, between junction 37 and junction 38.

The Great North Air Ambulance attended the scene, along with Yorkshire Air Ambulance and transported Mr Gibb's colleague, who has not been identified, to hospital.

A spokesman said: "A 51-year-old man, had suffered serious injuries to his back, chest, pelvis and legs and the GNAAS doctor-led trauma team anaesthetised him before he was airlifted to James Cook University Hospital, Middlesbrough, within 17 minutes. He arrived in a critical condition."

A police spokesman said it took officers 10 minutes from receiving a call about this incident to arrive at the scene.

The southbound carriageway was closed between junction 38 for Shap and junction 37 for Kendal until about 9.40pm, causing chaos on surrounding routes.

The northbound carriageway was closed for almost four hours, between junction 37 and junction 38.

A number of motorists were stuck within the road closure. There were reports of vehicles left stationary for hours before emergency workers could direct them to turn around.

The collision happened on the southbound carriageway but the other carriageway was closed to allow the two air ambulances to land.

The previous crash involved a black Mercedes driven by a 53-year-old man from Arkney and a silver Citroen driven by a 55-year-old woman from Bainbridge and happened just before 9.40am between junctions 38 and 37 near Tebay Services. 

Both drivers suffered minor injuries and soldiers from 33 Signal Squadron, based in Liverpool, who were passing, stopped to deal with the crash before emergency crews arrived.

They were praised for their work on the unit's Facebook page.

"Well done to all members of the squadron who diligently dealt with the road traffic collision on the Southbound M6 at Penrith this morning. Years of Army training put into swift action from dealing with multiple casualties to controlling the flow of traffic in torrential rain. 

"An excellent demonstration of incident management controlling the accident site."

Witnesses to the crash have been asked to contact police on 101.