The family of a Workington man who died after a horror bike crash in Brazil have kept his legacy alive by giving tens of thousands of pounds to good causes in his memory, an inquest has heard.

Christopher Peck, 34, died on May 2 last year, 12 days after he was hit head-on by a drink-driver during what should have been the trip of a lifetime.

The inquest in Cockermouth heard that the driver who caused the crash has not faced charges over his death despite admitting drinking at a party in the hours before the horror crash.

But, while they feel they have been denied justice for their "gentle giant", Mr Peck's family have sought to ensure that other people can benefit from his legacy by passing on the proceeds of two crowdfunding appeals launched in the aftermath of the crash.

Mr Peck, of Shore Road, Salterbeck, was just two weeks into an 18-week trip from South America to Canada, which he had spent two years preparing for, when the crash happened.

He had had his Moto Guzzi bike shipped to Uruguay before flying out from the Falklands on March 31 to meet it.

Mr Peck was delayed in Brazil after a discrepancy with his bike documentation prevented him crossing the border into Bolivia.

The inquest heard he had just left his accommodation and was riding in the Corumba area of the country around 9am on April 20 when his vehicle was hit head-on by a VW Golf whose driver was attempting to overtake a truck and had not seen him.

The driver was found to have 0.16mg of alcohol per litre of breath, above Brazil's strict 0.05mg limit, and told police he had been at a party until 2am where he had been drinking.

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Mr Peck, who was on leave from his job as a fisheries protection officer in the Falkland Islands at the time of his death, had part of a leg amputated at the scene of the crash.

He later had further surgery on the amputation but, despite the best efforts of the medical team who treated him, developed septic shock, having suffered multiple injuries in the collision.

Area coroner Kirsty Gomersal said: "There's no evidence produced to me that Christopher contributed in any way to the collision. I heard he was a competent driver and had planned this trip for two years."

Mr Peck's brother Sean, who travelled to Brazil with their mother Sylvia after the crash, told the inquest that the family understood the department which had been dealing with the drink-driver had been closed down or changed, leading to the lack of a prosecution.

"It seems to have been lost in the system," he said.

"The hospital did everything they could. It was more the politics that was wrong."

In the days after the accident, crowdfunding appeals were set up both in England and in the Falklands, raising more than £52,000 to help fund Mr Peck's treatment and return to the UK following problems with his insurance.

While some of this money went towards covering the family's costs surrounding travel and repatriation, much was left unspent.

The family have since donated around £26,000 to fund equipment for the Santa Casa do Corumba, the hospital where Mr Peck was treated, which provided his treatment for free after his insurance issues.

His mother told the inquest: "The hospital in Brazil, though poor and lacking in facilities, was rich and unstinting in care and concern. If there was any way they could have saved his life they would have done so.

"Even the local people were unbelievably kind, helping us with language problems and stopping us in the street.

"We learned from them that love and compassion are international and take no notice of borders.

"The people of Britain and the Falklands were amazing too."

Ms Gomersal said: "It shows the generosity of spirit you have as a family to donate all that money to those who are less fortunate than we are in the UK. I think on behalf of the Brazilian people I'd like to thank you for that. What a brilliant family you are."

As well as supporting the hospital that cared so well for Mr Peck, the family has donated to personal causes in the UK.

Among those receiving a donation was Susan Rumney, the Northside woman whose family launched a crowdfunding appeal to give her her dream wedding after she was diagnosed with cancer.

They have also donated to a Cumbrian boy who needed a new wheelchair, and to help a British girl who was injured in an accident in Greece while riding a quad bike.

The inquest heard that former Royal Navy serviceman Mr Peck, who grew up in Maryport, was the son of Robert and Sylvia, brother of Eileen, Jeanine, Naomi, Natalie and Sean, and an uncle to 13, as well as a much-loved friend and colleague.

Mrs Peck said: "He was loved by all who ever met him. He gave his time and help to anyone who ever needed it.

"He was loved by all his family and friends."

Sean Peck added: "He was a great brother, a good friend, a good uncle, a good son. Everybody enjoyed him being around. He was a good laugh.

"He liked his family. He liked to travel but he liked to be home as well.

"He was a genuinely good bloke. He was loved by everybody. I guess that's why it's so hard."

In a statement Katrina Stephenson, who worked with Mr Peck and is married to his cousin Zachary, said: "Chris was a quiet man, a gentle giant. He'd be friendly towards everyone. "He worked hard and loved his motorbike."

In her formal determination, Ms Gomersal concluded that Mr Peck had died as a result of a road traffic collision.

The coroners' office, she said, had had difficulty getting all the information it wanted from the Brazilian authorities about the circumstances surrounding his death.