A witness who rushed to help after a horrific crash in North Devon that killed a mother and her 12-year-old twins is struggling with the trauma, his fiancée has said. The man, who was travelling in a van, arrived at the scene on the A361 North Devon Link Road near Aller Cross at around 8.25am yesterday. He and his partner's brother attempted to free the victims from a white Kia Sportage but could not open the door, even with a crowbar.
The 43-year-old mother died at the scene, while her daughter was pronounced dead on arrival at North Devon District Hospital. The girl's twin brother was taken to hospital by air ambulance but later died. The family, from the Milton Keynes area, were on a summer holiday. The husband and 14-year-old son, travelling in a separate vehicle, witnessed the crash behind them, police confirmed.
In a Facebook post, the witness's fiancée, Leanne, wrote: 'My partner was there today, he seen the car and him and my brother jumped out the van and tried there best to help but couldn't get the car door open even with a crow bar. All he has does is cry at the image he has stuck in his head.' She added: 'Such an awful thing for the guy that has lost his family in a matter of minutes, my heart goes out to him.'
Police said the Kia Sportage and a Marks and Spencer's lorry were travelling in opposite directions when the car crossed the central white line and hit the lorry for unknown reasons. Inspector Richard McLellan of Devon and Cornwall Police described it as a 'serious collision'. The road was closed in both directions to allow the air ambulance to land. Three ambulances, five rapid response vehicles, and an air ambulance attended.
This crash occurred just a mile from another serious incident on Sunday, where three people were injured after a vehicle crossed the white lines and collided with a car towing a trailer. A woman in her 30s, a seven-year-old, and a nine-year-old were seriously injured and remain in hospital. Devon and Cornwall Police said they had dealt with a 'large number of serious and fatal crashes in the last 72 hours'.
