Family statement released following fatal A40 crash inquest
Four members of the Powell family died in the crash
Last updated 10th Jun 2021
After an inquest into a fatal crash on the A40 members of the victims family have released a statement and tribute.
Last October members of the Powell family, Zoe, 29, Phoebe, 8, Simeon, 6, and Amelia, 4, passed away following a collision on the A40.
Following the conclusion of an inquest into their deaths, the family says closure has been brought to what has been a very difficult time in the wider familys lives.
While it is difficult to understand what happened they say it is helpful to understand some possible explanations.
They have explained the importance of paying attention during driving and the responsibility everyone has to drive safely:
“The possibility that such a small distraction may have caused such a horrific accident should act as a painful reminder for everyone that roads are dangerous places; the actions of a single moment have wrecked an entire family and had a lasting impact on everyone around them.
“Whilst it may be unpleasant to conceive, there is not a single driver who has not been in a similar situation but by luck alone they have avoided a serious crash.
“Driving is not as safe as we sometimes wish it was. We all have a duty to always drive to the best of our abilities and ensure that we keep the roads as safe as possible.
“As a family we encourage the wider public to learn from our heartbreak and please make sure they make the right choices when driving on the road.
“It is hard to find the words to pay tribute to the loss we have suffered. We are very grateful that Zoe, Phoebe, Simeon and Amelia carried themselves excited by the joy of life."
They go on to speak of how the four Powell family members have been left with an abundance of happy memories for people to look back on.
The tribute goes on to thank people for their support and generosity shown to the family since the incident:
We’d like to thank everyone who has wrapped their arms around us and supported us physically, financially and emotionally.
“Our thoughts go to those who were at the crash scene that bore witness to this horrific accident, especially the lorry driver.
“As a family we hold no ill feelings and hold no responsibility towards him, we recognise that none of his actions led to the accident.
“Our hope is for peace for all who have been troubled by the collision and its aftermath. By the grace of God, Josh and Penny have survived this horrific crash with amazingly minimal long term physical impairment.
“This is in no small part thanks to the public at the crash itself, the hard work of the emergency services and those within the NHS who provided treatments.
“As we have learnt more of the events before and after the accident, we are blown away by the depth of humanity shown by the emergency services and the huge effort they made to try to save everyone, especially Simeon and Amelia.
“We have witnessed first-hand the hard work that has gone into Josh and Penny’s treatment, and seen the amazing transformation in restoring their ability to live life.
“We want to take this opportunity to thank everyone involved who has worked to not only help Josh & Penny survive but give them their lives back.
“The family wish to thank the press for respecting our privacy up to this point, this space has helped us grieve and process the horrific events. We hope that this respect continues as everyone involved tries to rebuild.”
The families of Zoe, Phoebe, Simeon & Amelia Powell