Traffic still sped by the spot in Southampton yesterday where just hours before 22-year-old motorcyclist Maceo Maurice Butterfield lost his life.

Yesterday his father Wayne said: "He was a very loving child and just about anyone who came into contact with him thought he was a nice guy.'' He described his son, who went to school at Elliott Primary and Deliverance Academy in Flatts, as a "very quiet child who was especially close to his family and friends''.

Shortly before 2 a.m. Police, ambulance, and fire personnel rushed to 154 Middle Road Southampton to the assistance of Mr. Butterfield.

Mr. Butterfield, who was a bar porter at the Elbow Beach Hotel, is believed to have been returning home from a Christmas party and was travelling west on Middle Road.

He is believed to have lost control of his cycle and collided with the east facing exterior wall of the private home.

Family pays tribute to crash victim Butterfield Mr. Butterfield was rushed to King Edward VII Memorial Hospital where doctors fought for four more hours to keep him alive. He was pronounced dead shortly before 6 a.m.

The building borders the road and yesterday there was little sign of an accident, except for fresh scratch marks in the paint.

Residents near the accident scene were reluctant to talk about the accident, apart from expressing their sorrow for Mr. Butterfield's family.

But Mr. Butterfield said his son "really enjoyed playing soccer, travelling to see relatives in New York and spending time with his friends, especially his best friend Shawn Smith, with whom he seems to have been joined to at the hip since primary school''.

He explained that his son left behind two brothers, Omar, 18, and Joshua, 14, and one sister, 12-year-old Erin.

"Everyone in the family will sadly miss him,'' Mr. Butterfield added. "They all just loved him because he was a very lovable person.'' Grandfather Philip Busby said: "It was an terrible shock to be wakened by the news early in the morning like that.'' He added: "Maceo was a very clean living boy, who never smoked or drank. He was in the Regiment and really enjoyed it there. But his ambition was to be a teacher of physical education.'' Transport Minister Ewart Brown said of Mr. Butterfield's death: "First I would like to extend my deepest sympathies to that young man's family and friends.'' Dr. Brown also extended a warning to motorists about their driving habits during the holiday season, saying: "It's better to park your bike or car and live.'' "I trust that this will serve as a warning to motorists to be even more careful and drive defensively during the festive season,'' Dr. Brown added.

Police reported that Mr. Butterfield was the tenth road fatality of 1999 and Sgt. Leroy Haynes or P.c. Timothy Harvey are requesting any witnesses to contact them on 234-1010.

The road traffic death rate for 1999 is far behind the rate for last year when 18 people died.

Maceo Maurice Butterfiled