A mother and her three children died when she steered her car onto the wrong side of the A40 in Oxfordshire and crashed head-on into a lorry, an inquest has heard. Zoe Powell, 29, and her children Phoebe, eight, Simeon, six, and four-year-old Amelia were killed in the collision on 12 October 2020. Mrs Powell's husband Josh and their 18-month-old daughter Penny survived.
The inquest at Oxfordshire Coroner's Court heard that the family was returning from a visit to Mrs Powell's in-laws when the crash occurred near a railway bridge at 21:50 BST. The Subaru people carrier was fitted with an onboard computer that showed it had been in cruise control and was steered sharply to the right moments before the collision. Witnesses reported the car had been driving normally within the 60mph speed limit.
Lorry driver Adao Patricio, who suffered only minor injuries, said he had no time to react. Mr Powell, who was in the passenger seat, had no recollection of the crash. Coroner Darren Salter said he considered whether Mrs Powell had been fatigued, distracted by the children, or if the act was deliberate. He concluded fatigue or distraction was more likely, noting she was described as 'devoted to her children, marriage and faith'. A conclusion of death by road traffic collision was recorded.
In a statement, the family said: '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.' They added that Mrs Powell, Phoebe, Simeon and Amelia left them with 'an abundance of happy memories'. The deaths occurred just months after the family lost everything in a house fire.
