Walter Rhoden, aged 47, consultant cardiologist at Barnsley Hospital for the past 15 years, and his 45-year-old wife Kathy, who worked as a GP in Darfield and Wath, were killed when a car hit their Harley Davidson motorbike in Orlando, Florida.

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The couple, who were both motorcycle enthusiasts, were on a popular biker route near Daytona Beach when a Nissan Frontier pulled across into their path. Both were pronounced dead at the scene.

Charges are pending against the Nissan driver, 25-year-old Daniel Couse Jnr, according to the Florida Highway Patrol, which is treating the case as a traffic homicide investigation.

Friends say Walter had sold his TVR sports car about a year ago to buy the Harley-Davidson. Kathy, who was riding as his pillion passenger, had been planning to get her own motorcycle licence on their return.

The Hoyland couple's three children, Jamie, 16, and his younger sisters, Emily and Olivia, were at their holiday hotel at the time.
They are understood to have flown back to England and are being cared for by extended family and their long-term nanny.

Kathy's devastated dad Mark Phipps said the children were now their main concern.
"We've all been devastated by the news," he said. "Kathy and Walter were exceptional doctors and fantastic parents.
"Walter was an outstanding cardiologist who was the youngest consultant in the country when he was appointed at the age of 32.
"Kathy was a local GP at Woodgrove Surgery. She was a one-off – flamboyant, engaging and patients loved her."

Mark described Kathy, who was deputy medical director of Barnsley Primary Care Trust, as "superb".
He said: "Kathy was a superb mother, an exceptional colleague, a talented and loving daughter and a sister to Maureen.
"They leave behind three teenage children and our main concern now is for their welfare and wellbeing.
"The family is trying to come to terms with what has happened."

Deputy Mayor of Barnsley Coun Margaret Morgan's husband Gordon was one of the first patients in Barnsley to be treated with Enhanced External Counter Pulsation Therapy, a machine nicknamed 'squeezy pants', which Walter was instrumental in bringing to Barnsley Hospital in 2003.

Coun Morgan said: "It would be impossible to put into words what a tremendous contribution they both played in providing healthcare in this area. "

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