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A mother and her three children died in a terror accident that also left her husband and young child fighting for their lives in hospital.
Mother blogger Zoe Powell, 29, died along with her two daughters, Phoebe, 8, Amelia, 4, and her 6-year-old brother Simeon, on the A40 near Oxford, England today.
Husband Josh, 30, and their 18-month-old baby survived the blow and are described as in a “critical but stable” condition at Oxford’s John Radcliffe Hospital, Mirror.co.uk reports.
Witnesses described a “scene from hell” after encountering the accident on the A40.
The family’s silver Subaru collided with the HGV near a rail bridge west of the city at 9:50 p.m. Monday.
Thames Valley police said the victims came from the Oxford town of Chinnor.
Zoe was a parishioner and parenting writer who moved to the area with her family from Sheffield in 2014.
She ran her own business producing magazines for new mothers and also edited a successful blog.
In an online interview, she spoke of her love for teaching Bible studies with her husband to teenagers at their local church.
They moved into temporary housing in recent months after their home was damaged by fire.
A neighbor said, “They were a lovely family.”
Yesterday, neighbors and family friends placed flowers in front of St. Andrew’s Church in Chinnor.
Chinnor Parish Council posted on Facebook: “We are all so saddened and shocked to hear about the tragic accident.
“The community church has created a space for flowers to be placed for the family.”
One parishioner said: “Right now it’s so raw. The community is very upset. “
The A40 was reopened at lunchtime after accident investigators searched for clues to the tragedy.
Police said a 56-year-old truck driver suffered minor injuries in the accident and did not need hospital treatment.
A driver who was found immediately after posted on social media that it was like a “scene from hell.”
Another motorist wrote on Facebook: “I have never seen anything so traumatic in my life.
“I never want anyone to see what I did. I never thought I’d see something like this.
“Those who survived, God bless, those who died, RIP.”
David Patchett, who lives on a narrow boat near the scene, called 999 after seeing seriously injured people.
He said: “There was a loud explosion, an awful noise that shook the ship. It was enough to make your heart skip.
“I grabbed my phone and my shoes and sprinted down the road while trying to dial 999. I knew it wasn’t a good sound.
“The first thing I saw was the truck on the wrong side of the road and I saw that the driver was sitting well.
“I kept running to the car, that’s where I could have slumped to my knees, it was an emotional rollercoaster.
“The car was in the middle of the road, it wasn’t just a front end damage, it looked like it had wrinkled like a can.
“It was a horrible thing to see and the first thing I thought was that nobody had survived, that’s how bad it was.”
Thames Valley Police Sgt. Dominic Mahon said the accident was an “absolute tragedy.”
He added: “This incredibly tragic incident has resulted in the deaths of four people from the same family.
“Our officers and colleagues from the other emergency services were dealing with an extremely disturbing scene.
“We will leave no stone unturned to determine what has caused this tragedy.”
The officer called for witnesses or motorists who had footage of the incident on the dash cam to come forward.
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