(Image: Northumbria Police/Family Handout)
The parents of an 18-year-old man have paid tribute to their son following his tragic death in North Shields last week.
McKenzie Ratcliffe died after the electric motorbike he was riding collided with a van on Waterville Road in the Meadow Well area at 5.25pm on Wednesday, August 19.
The driver of the van, a man in his 60s, remained at the scene to assist officers with their enquiries.
Police said that for reasons yet to be established, the electric motorcycle collided head-on with a green Mercedes Sprinter van.
In a tribute, McKenzie's parents described him as "an amazing young man" with his whole life ahead of him.
They said: "Our hearts are broken – nothing seems real.
"McKenzie was such an amazing young man – he had his whole life ahead of him.
"We want to thank each and every person for their love and support at this awful and sad time – nothing has gone unnoticed.
"We would also like to thank passers-by, especially the lady that didn't stop doing CPR on our boy until the emergency services attended, and also thank the emergency services for doing their best."
They said: "McKenzie leaves behind so many broken hearts, his brother Leighton, his two sisters Brogan and Bonnie, his nana, grandads, uncles, aunt and so many more and not to forget his friends."
They also paid tribute to his girlfriend, Olivia.
McKenzie Ratcliffe and girlfriend Olivia
(Image: Northumbria Police/Family Handout)
They said: "Olivia was McKenzie’s world and she will always be a part of our family, even more so now."
The family asked that anyone taking part in memorial events does so respectfully.
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Sergeant Craig Bartle, of Northumbria Police's Roads Policing Unit, said: "Our thoughts continue to be with McKenzie's family and we are continuing to support them during this extremely difficult time.
"We would like to thank everyone who has provided information towards our investigation so far and ask that anyone else who has details which could assist us please get in touch."
Anyone with information on the incident or dashcam footage is asked to contact Northumbria Police, quoting reference NP-20260819-0748.