TRIBUTES were last night paid to a church youth worker who died in an horrific A14 crash.

South Africa-born Keziah Smit, who was 20, was travelling from her home in Ely to Christ Church on the Moreton Hall estate in Bury St Edmunds when tragedy struck.

She was driving along the carriageway when her Renault Clio collided with a lorry parked in a lay-by near Kennett at about 6.30pm on Wednesday. She was due to marry her fiance Alex Theobald – who is currently in Laos – at Christ Church later this year. Mr Theobald is aware of his fiancee’s death.

Last night the doors of the church were opened so that those bereaved could share prayers and memories of Miss Smit.

Rev Jonathan Ford said: “She was a very outgoing, bubbly, attractive young lady and she was a very committed Christian. She worked very hard with young people. She made a lot of connections with people’s lives.”

He told how she and Mr Theobald, who is also a key member of the church community, had plans to carry out missionary work in the future.

Mr Ford said there were a lot of people grieving at the church, many of them children and young people.

Senior church leader Jonathan Radcliffe said Miss Smit, who had been a youth leader with the church for about a year, was “bursting with energy and joy”.

“ It is a blow to us all. She was on her way here at the time of the accident but she never arrived.” Fire crews from Newmarket and Bury St Edmunds were in attendance.

Meanwhile, police were hoping to today name a motorcyclist, who died in a collision with a car on the B1115 at Milden, near Hadleigh.

The man, who is believed to be from Essex, was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash, which took place at 6pm on Wednesday.

Anybody who saw the accident on the A14 should contact Cambridgeshire road policing unit on 0345 4564564.