A dad hailed by his family as a "miracle man" after surviving eight heart attacks has died following a road accident on his way to hospital for treatment.

Terry Burrell, from Grain, was in an ambulance taking him for his regular kidney dialysis session when it was involved in a crash.

Double amputee Terry suffered injuries when the vehicle taking patients to Medway Maritime Hospital was forced to make an emergency stop.

The remarkable 56-year has been dogged with serious illness over the last nine years and has undergone a series of life-saving surgery.

His close-knit family had been told on several occasions to says their last farewells to the brave father-of-three and grandad and at one point he stopped breathing for 10 minutes.

On the last occasion he was discharged from a London hospital to be allowed to go home and have quality time with his devoted wife Lorraine whom he has been with for 25 years.

Up until last week, Terry had defied all odds and pulled through from the brink of death to the amazement of medical experts.

Last Thursday morning, after Terry had been picked up by G4S patient transfer staff from his home in Grain for one of his three-weekly visits to hospital, the ambulance was involved in an accident.

Terry suffered several breaks in his upper leg and a fractured jaw, but, because of his ill health, doctors said they were unable to operate.

His eldest daughter Chloe, 25, feared he would spend his final days in pain in a hospital bed.

On Monday morning Terry's body finally gave in and he passed away just after 6am.

A G4S Patient Transport Services spokesman said: "We would like to express our sincere condolences to Mr Burrell's family for their loss and are cooperating with the police investigation."

A spokesman for the force confirmed Kent Police’s Serious Collision Investigation Unit are carrying out inquiries surrounding the incident.

Terry was a previously fit CCTV engineer, before suffering kidney failure in 2015.

A keen fisherman, West Ham supporter and with a sharp sense of humour, Terry's family remember him as a "miracle man" who kept his spirits up right until the end.

Chloe said her son Parker, who is nearly one, and her brother Lee's eight-month-old, called Blake, brought untold joy to Terry.

Chloe said: "My heart is broken into a million pieces. I was his angel and now he's mine. He's finally out of pain and may rest in perfect peace. He was the best dad and grandad. I love you dad."

"He absolutely adored his grandsons and being a grandad.

"They kept him going and I think he may have gone on longer if it had not been for the accident.

"He's been through so much but always pulled through. Who would have thought his life would end like this?

"They could not operate because his heart couldn't take it.They couldn't even take an x-ray of his jaw.

"In the end, he was screaming in so much pain.

Daughter Becky, 15, has set up a GoFundMe page to raise money for Terry's funeral. Chloe will also be donating money from a planned charity skydive to give her father a worthy send-off. She said: "Fly high daddy, you didn't deserve any of this. We miss you so much. You're my hero."

Wife Lorraine added: "My darling husband, I will never get over this. He's finally out of pain. I love you with every beat of my heart. Until we meet again my darling, I promise you I will look after the kids and our boys, sleep tight."

Lee, 26, said: "My best mate, my hero, my idol. You can rest easy now mate and I’ll look after the family."

The grieving family are making arrangements to say their final goodbyes to a much-loved husband, dad and grandad.

Chloe said: "One things for sure, we will be wearing West Ham shirts."

A spokesman for SECAmb confirmed an ambulance was called at about 7.15am to Hollytree Drive, Higham on Friday March 9 and treated one person at the scene before taking them to hospital.