Feelings of Grief and disbelief have struck the family and friends of 20-year-old Eric Berkeley Jr., who died Tuesday morning after a tragic bike accident — marking the Island’s seventh road fatality for 2007.

Police say it appears he was travelling west along North Shore Road in Hamilton Parish at around 10.55 p.m. Monday night, when he lost control over his motorcycle near the junction with East Point Lane.

His cycle veered off-road, landing under a palm tree on the northern side. Shortly after, an Officer and a nurse who happened to be driving by, found Berkeley lying face-down in the east-bound lane.

They performed CPR on him until paramedics arrived. He was then rushed to King Edward VII Memorial Hospital via ambulance, however, he was subsequently pronounced dead at 12.15 a.m. by an on-call physician.

Tributes are pouring in for the Hamilton Parish man, who was studying architecture and working in construction for the summer before returning to Spain — where his mother, sister and brother reside and to continue his studies there.

Close friend Antonio (Toto) Belvedere, 20, was still trying to comprehend the loss of his best friend when speaking to The Royal Gazette.

“This is another blow to me, because my grandmother just passed away,” he reflected.

“We grew up together in Spanish Point. We just celebrated the anniversary of the death of our friend Scott Kozma, who recently died in an accident — and now this happens — it seems never-ending.

“Eric was an easy-going guy, always smiling, laughing, he kept to himself and so you never knew what he was thinking or what he was up to.

“I think this will be especially tough on his mother, brothers and sisters — who haven’t seen him in months ever since he returned to Bermuda — and now they must come home to bury him.

“It will be hard not having him around. Not hearing him laugh, talk, or making jokes.

“Right now, we’re all wondering about the exact circumstances of his accident — where he was and where he was coming from — but I don’t think he was speeding because he was always careful when riding on the roads.”

Another friend, Erica Simmons, 21, said she was in shock after hearing the bad news and is also struggling to come to terms with the loss of her close friend.

“Right now the reality of the news hasn’t fully hit me yet. I know that it happened, but it hasn’t really sunk-in,” she said.

“Eric was full of fun and the type of person who always wanted to help you with anything you asked of him, but he also knew when it was time to get serious.

“He always asked questions and was ready for action — he was very outgoing and down to earth.”

Mr. Berkeley’s mother and siblings are due to return to the Island, from Spain, today. The Bermuda Police Service has extended its sincere condolences to the family and friends of Berkeley.

Police are appealing for any witness to the accident, to contact PC Errol Peterkin at 295-0011.

David Minors, acting road-safety officer at the Bermuda Road Safety Council, was saddened by the news and urged the public to keep safety in mind.

He stated: “The Bermuda Road Safety Council and all of its members take every loss of life on our roads very seriously. It’s tragic that we have lost another young male.

“We would just like to remind everyone that it’s our individual privilege to be on the road, not our right. We have to, as people in our community, take our time and realise that the road can be a place where a life could be lost.

“We must take individual responsibility to ensure that we take every precaution that we possibly can.

“Simply starting with wearing your seatbelt, ensuring your helmet is securely fastened and adhering to the speed limit.

“If we do these things collectively, it makes the roads much more safe.”