Exclusive:New dad and former police officer from Barnsley dies after crash just days before first wedding anniversary
“He was a wonderful dad and loved nothing more than making memories with his girls”
A family in Barnsley has been left devastated after a dad whose youngest daughter was born just eight months ago died in a motorbike crash.
Tragedy struck just minutes after Andrew Tubbs had called his wife, Emma, to tell her that he was worried about a mechanical issue on his bike and would be pulling over to have it recovered.
When Emma called Andrew back just 15 minutes after that call, he had been involved in a serious collision, with an air ambulance called to take him to Leeds General Infirmary.
Andrew tragically died as a result of his injuries 18 days later.
He passed away in Barnsley Hospice on August 20 - just a few days before his and Emma’s first wedding anniversary.
Andrew, a former police officer now traffic officer, was just 41 years old when he died, and leaves behind two daughters, Tegan and Erin, as well as his stepsons Kian and Leo.
Youngest daughter Erin was born in December 2025, and family got a clay handprint of Andrew made before his passing so she has “something tangible when she’s bigger”.
“Unfortunately he passed away on August 20, just six days shy of (his and Emma’s) first wedding anniversary,” family friend Adele Haywood said.
Following the collision, daughter Tegan helped Adele open a fundraiser to support the family.
Emma was having to pay for a hotel in Leeds so she could stay by Andrew’s bedside while he was in hospital after the crash.
It has raised more than £6,000 already, with new donations now going towards the costs of the funeral after his tragic passing.
“It’s been amazing,” Adele added.
“It just shows that communities massively come together to help.”
The funeral is set to take place on September 29 at Barnsley Crematorium, with local motorbike riders planning a procession for Andrew on the same day.
Meanwhile, Emma has gone back to work as she tries to support the family and finish her paramedic training.
Adele went on to say: “We joked that he would come back to haunt her if she didn’t graduate this year.
“He wouldn’t want his accident to stop her living her life and doing the things they had planned together.
“So she is trying her hardest to live that memory. She is trying to put everything in motion to honour the plans they had made.”
Adele said he “lived for his girls” and described him as a “genuine bloke”.
Paying tribute to her beloved husband, Emma added: “He was the type of bloke where his phone was always on and his door was always open.
“Whether someone needed an ear to bend or a cuppa and a chat, or simply a ride out on his bike and someone quite, he would always make time.
“He was a wonderful dad and loved nothing more than making memories with his girls.”
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