POLICE were last night searching for a hit-and-run driver who left a man dying in the road.

An off-duty police officer found him dead in Trengrouse Road, Helston, Cornwall, in the early hours of yesterday morning.

The incident was one of three fatal road crashes being investigated by Devon and Cornwall Police over the weekend and comes days after the force was celebrating a reduction in road fatalities.

In Exeter, tributes were paid to a young motorcyclist and father who died in a collision in the city.

David Pollard, 20, was travelling on a black Honda 125cc when it was in collision with a parked white Ford Transit minibus in Stoke Hill just before 4.30am yesterday.

And a 23-year-old man died after his vehicle was in collision with a gatepost near the village of Musbury, near Axminster, Devon, on Saturday morning.

The hit-and-run victim, who has not yet been formally identified, was discovered at about 12.20am yesterday.

The officer who discovered the man lying in the road called for assistance but the man was pronounced dead by paramedics at the scene.

Injuries on the victim's body suggested that he had been involved in a collision with a vehicle. A post-mortem examination was due to be carried out yesterday afternoon.

Inspector John Moxom, of Devon and Cornwall Police, said: "The man was found in the street by an off-duty police officer. We believe he had been involved in a road accident. We are currently trying to locate a vehicle and a driver who may have been involved in the incident."

The incident is being investigated by officers from the roads policing unit and the major crime investigation team. They yesterday cordoned off the scene as they scoured the area for clues.

In Exeter, flowers and messages of condolence were left at the scene of the crash which claimed the life of young father David Pollard, from the Whipton area of the city.

Mr Pollard, who suffered from cerebral palsy and had a one-year-old daughter, was declared dead at the scene by paramedics.

His mother, Tahnee, who went to lay flowers at the scene yesterday lunchtime, was too upset to speak.

But his aunt, Jane Embley, said: "David had got a little girl of his own who is nearly two and he was the only child of his mum. He was just really lovely and would do anything for anybody.

"He was just a lovely boy and adored his mum and his little girl. We heard what happened this morning and have been in a state of shock since then. We can't take it all in.

"He had cerebral palsy so could not work but he was such a kind-natured person, who would not harm anybody and it is so sad his life has been taken away."

In the third tragic death, officers are also investigating a fatal accident on the A358, near to the village of Musbury just after 10.15am on Saturday. A Honda Civic left the road and collided with a gatepost and wall. The driver, a 23-year-old local man, was pronounced dead at the scene.

A police spokesman said: "Initial inquiries suggest that the car was overtaking another vehicle before losing control and leaving the carriageway."

Insp Moxom added: "We can't draw any conclusions as they are totally unconnected. It is just a tragic coincidence that this took place over the weekend.

"We can't even say that weather conditions were particularly bad. The message is, don't be complacent and take care on the roads.

"We have a very good record and this week we were celebrating fatal road traffic collisions being down considerably in the last 12 months."

Anyone with information should contact police on 08452 777444.

A five-year-old girl was undergoing emergency surgery last night after a horrific head-on crash near Plymouth.

She suffered internal injuries and bleeding in the incident, in which three others – believed to be her father, sister and little brother – were also hurt, the father seriously.

The family, from Torpoint, was travelling in a silver Ford Mondeo which was in collision with a black VW Golf, believed to have been driven by a man from the Plymouth area, at about 4pm yesterday on the A374, about a mile west of Polbathic.

The driver of the Golf suffered a suspected broken arm, plus other injuries and was taken to Derriford Hospital by ambulance.

The road was closed for several hours as emergency teams worked at the scene.