HEARTFELT tributes have been paid to 25-year-old Louiza Covey from Bridport who died in a crash near Dorchester.

She was a passenger in a VW Golf involved in a collision on the A37 three miles north of Grimstone on Break Heart Hill.

The collision happened at around 10pm on Friday, May 8, and Louiza, known to friends and family as Lulu, and a 45-year-old man from Poole in a VW Transporter, were both confirmed dead at the scene.

Four people are also being treated for serious injuries at Dorchester, Bristol, Yeovil and Poole hospitals.

Lulu, a horse groom and former Beaminster School pupil, was born in Dorchester and grew up in Salway Ash.

In a statement, Lulu’s family said: “Lulu was an exceptional young woman whose constant happiness was contagious to everyone she knew and loved. She was as beautiful inside as she was out and could change your day with a comment and smile.

“Her honesty and pursuit of joy in everything she did should be an example to us all.

“For all her family and friends, she leaves behind a void that will always be filled with treasured memories of her. She will never be forgotten.”

Kay Clarke, who was Lulu’s tutor at Beaminster School, said: “Lulu was an absolute bundle of fun.

“Always bubbly, she delighted in sharing tales about what she’d been up to at the weekend with her friends. Horses seemed to feature in many of their stories. Lulu was a beautiful girl, both inside and out.

“We were all deeply saddened to hear the dreadful news about the accident.

“Our thoughts are with her family and friends at this very sad time.”

Bridport’s Mayor Maggie Ray said: “It’s shocking news, it’s such a sad loss of such a young life. This young lady had everything before her and our thoughts are with her family.”

The rear seat passenger of the VW Golf, a 26-year-old woman from the Bridport area, is in the intensive care unit at Dorset County Hospital with life changing injuries.

Horse event rider and friend Craig Barr named the driver and front seat passenger of the VW Golf as Daniel Sibley, 28 from Devon, and Aaron Millar, 28, from Exeter.

Mr Barr said Mr Millar suffered a haematoma on his bowel, while Mr Sibley, who runs an eventing yard near Yeovil, had broken both legs and his sternum.

He said when he went to see Mr Millar he was ‘quite shaken up’.

He added: “Aaron is doing well and I think has been moved from an emergency ward to recovery. Dan is still in quite a lot of pain but is stable. They are two of my closest friends, and I know the other girl as well – she’s stable but her injuries are really serious. It’s really nice to know that everybody’s thinking about them.”

Officers from Dorset Police’s traffic unit are still investigating the cause of the collision. Contact Dorset Police on 101, quoting number 8:422.