Father who lost wife and three children in crash recalls ‘life of fun’
A MAN who survived a car crash that killed his wife and three children has acknowledged the battles to come as he faces an “uncertain future”.
Josh Powell, 30, from Chinnor, South Oxfordshire, said he would “reflect on the fun we had as a family, with feelings of sadness that it was cut so short”.
He also paid tribute to those who had “rushed to put their arms around” him and his 18-month-old daughter Penny, who survived the crash.
Mr Powell’s wife, Zoe, 29, a blogger and illustrator, and their daughter Phoebe, eight, were pronounced dead at the scene on Oct 12, when their Sub
aru people carrier “crumbled like a can” after colliding with an HGV on the A40. The couple’s six-year-old son Simeon, and daughter Amelia, four, died soon after in hospital. Mr Powell and Penny were taken to the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford where both are stable.
The 56-year- old lorry driver, who suffered minor injuries, is helping police with their inquiries. No arrests have been made.
In a statement i ssued through Thames Valley Police, Mr Powell, a civil engineer, paid tribute to his wife and children, who were active members of
Chinnor Community Church. “I had been blessed with four wonderful children, whose thirst for life, and hunger for adventure kept me busy but in the best possible way,” he said. “As I look to an uncertain future, I reflect on the fun that we had as a family, with feelings of sadness that it was cut so short.”
He described his wife, who wrote a blog about motherhood and sold her own illustrated gifts and stationery, as “a dreamer”. He said: “Myself and Zoe were as different as we were alike. Despite the frequent tensions this would bring, it was of immense benefit having such differing world views.
“Our children benefited from this in having adventures but also the quiet to talk. Zoe was a dreamer; with a head spinning of things to do or tales to tell. We made a great partnership.”
Mr Powell also talked about each of his children. He said Phoebe was “the model of her mother,” adding: “She was clever and able to make great jumps of imagination.” He described Simeon as “just like his father” with “a mischievous sense of humour and desire to know more of the world”. Amelia, he said, was “kind and spirited”, who had “tenderness and thoughtfulness much more advanced than her years”.
Mr Powell said he and Penny had been well supported, and knew they only had to ask for anything they might need.
He added: “As a family that have always preferred understated calm and brevity, it has been a revelation the benefit of the deep wider relationships now I’ve lost my immediate nuclear family. Now we have the time to readjust and grieve, this is the challenge of the abundance of loss we feel as a family. Thank you to those who have respected our space and supported us thus far, and given us the time and space to do this.”
The tragedy came just months after the family “lost everything” when they were forced into temporary accommodation following a fire at their home. A crowdfunding page set up by a railway worker colleague of Mr Powell’s has raised more than £125,000. Police have appealed for dashcam footage and information about the crash.