A “much loved” man killed when his Aston Martin crashed was former head of insurance firm Aviva

A “much loved” man killed when his Aston Martin crashed into a tree near Wetherby was former head of insurance firm Aviva.

David Barral’s former colleagues joined his family in paying tribute after he died in a car crash on the A58 Leeds road between Bardsey and Collingham, West Yorkshire.

David Barral died when his Aston Martin collided with a tree near Wetherby.placeholder image
David Barral died when his Aston Martin collided with a tree near Wetherby. | WYP/NW

An Aviva spokesperson said: “We are very sad to hear of the death of David Barral, a much-valued former colleague and leader at Aviva.

“Our deepest condolences and prayers go to David’s family at this time.”

Mr Barral, 63, was driving a grey Aston Martin DBX SUV which crashed into a tree on the A58 Leeds Road between Bardsey and Collingham just after 2pm on Tuesday, West Yorkshire Police said. They are appealing for drivers who may have any dash cam footage to help their inquiries.

David Barral, 60, was killed when his grey Aston Martin DBX SUV collided with a tree on the A58 Leeds Road, between Bardsey and Collingham, near Wetherbyplaceholder image
David Barral, 60, was killed when his grey Aston Martin DBX SUV collided with a tree on the A58 Leeds Road, between Bardsey and Collingham, near Wetherby

Officers said Mr Barral, who according to LinkedIn was the chief executive of the insurance firm from 2011 to 2015, was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash.

Earlier, his family paid tribute to him, saying “you will always fill our hearts”.

In a statement, they said: “We are all absolutely devastated at the loss of the most wonderful man. Rest in peace David, we will all miss you so, so much and you will always fill our hearts. We love you.”

Officers from West Yorkshire Police’s major collision inquiry team are appealing for anyone who saw the collision or the car in the time leading up to the incident to contact them. They would particularly like to hear from anyone with dashcam or CCTV footage.

Anyone with information is urged to contact West Yorkshire Police online at westyorkshire.police.uk/LiveChat or by calling 101 quoting reference 13250591258.

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