Tributes paid to mother and three children who died in A40 crash in Oxfordshire

14 October 2020, 08:34 | Updated: 14 October 2020, 14:10

Zoe Powell died alongside her two daughters, Phoebe, eight, and Amelia, four, and their six-year-old brother Simeon
Zoe Powell died alongside her two daughters, Phoebe, eight, and Amelia, four, and their six-year-old brother Simeon. Picture: PA Images
Ewan Quayle

By Ewan Quayle

Tributes have been paid to a mother and three children who died in an HGV collision in Oxfordshire on Monday.

The victims have been named locally as blogger Zoe Powell, 29, from Chinnor in Oxfordshire, her two daughters Amelia, four, and Phoebe, eight, and her six-year-old son Simeon.

They died when the family's people carrier collided with a large HGV near a railway bridge on the A40 to the west of Oxford.

Tributes for local parishioners Zoe Powell and her family who died in A40 car crash

Chinnor Parish Council said in a Facebook post that it was "saddened and shocked" by news of the fatal crash.

Read more: Three children and woman from same family die in A40 collision

It said: "The Chinnor Community Church on the High Street has created a space for flowers to be laid for the family. CCC has a cross outside that anyone can come and lay flowers if they wish. Our thoughts and prayers to everyone."

Emergency calls to Thames Valley Police were made after the incident on Monday night
Emergency calls to Thames Valley Police were made after the incident on Monday night. Picture: PA Images

Two other passengers in the Subaru, her 30-year-old husband Josh and their 18-month-old daughter, were taken to the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford, where they both remain in a critical condition.

Thames Valley Police (TVP) said the driver of the HGV, a 56-year-old man, suffered minor injuries.

Meanwhile, Oxford City Council leader Susan Brown tweeted: "Horrible, horrible news and my thoughts are not just with the family and friends but with all those professionals doing their jobs who have seen sights they will sadly never forget."

Zoe Powell and her three children died when the vehicle she was in collided with a HGV near Oxford
Zoe Powell and her three children died when the vehicle she was in collided with a HGV near Oxford. Picture: PA Images

Officers were called to the tragedy at 9.50pm, adding they received "multiple" calls from the public.

Senior Investigating Officer Sergeant Dominic Mahon said officers were in the very early stages of the investigation into what he described as an "incredibly tragic" and "horrendous" incident.

Appealing for help from the public, he said: "I would also urge anybody who has dash-cam footage of the incident or either of the vehicles just prior to the incident to please not share this publicly, but contact police with this detail."

Sgt Mahon warned against speculating about the cause of the collision, adding: "We will leave no stone unturned to ascertain what has caused this tragedy.

"The next of kin of the family have been made aware and are being supported by specially trained family liaison officers."

Police are appealing for witnesses of the tragic A40 collision
Police are appealing for witnesses of the tragic A40 collision. Picture: PA Images

Paying tribute to emergency service workers attending the scene, he added: "The thoughts of all of us at Thames Valley Police, along with our partners who have assisted at the scene or at the hospital, are with the families at this incredibly difficult time.

"I would like to also pay tribute to our officers, first responders and medical professionals, who dealt with this collision.

"Our officers and colleagues from the other emergency services were dealing with an extremely upsetting scene, and I would like to thank them for the work that they carried out overnight."

Investigators are appealing to anybody who was driving in the area at the time of the collision and witnessed what happened - they are being asked to contact 101, or make a report online, quoting reference number 43200321914.

More Latest News

See more More Latest News

The UEFA Euro trophy is pictured after the UK and Ireland were elected to host the Euro 2028 fooball tournament

Major sporting events and grassroots sport to receive £900 million funding

A Ryanair passenger plane taxis on the runway at Luton airport.

Ryanair plane from UK crashes into barrier on landing after ‘severe turbulence’ leaving passengers scared

Lively's team applied to prevent Justin Baldoni obtaining the messages between her and Taylor Swift, arguing they were irrelevant.

Messages between Blake Lively and Taylor Swift can be handed over to Justin Baldoni as part of legal battle, judge rules

Trump to decide on US involvement in Iran 'in the next two weeks' as White House reveals attack timeline

Trump gives Iran two-week deadline as White House unveils attack timeline

The elderly woman was found holding kitchen utensils and she was targeted with the Taser when she refused to drop them.

Police officers face misconduct hearing after dementia patient, 90, 'handcuffed and hooded' for holding kitchen utensils

Coco Gauff of United States during the Roland-Garros 2025, French Open, Grand Slam tennis tournament on 7 June 2025 at Roland-Garros stadium in Paris, France

Coco Gauff suffers shock defeat to Wang Xinyu in Berlin

Exclusive
The Iranian State Radio and Television (IRIB) building could be seen burning from a distance after the strike

Implications of a US attack on Iran 'might be greater' than Iraq in 2003, former Defence Secretary claims

Father James has been jailed for seven years for preying on the vulnerable teenage boys at Ampleforth College in North Yorkshire.

Monk, 71, jailed after sexually abusing boys at ‘Catholic Eton’ for two decades

'Major incident' declared as smoke seen billowing from motorway tunnel with drivers told to 'stay in cars'

Rush hour chaos as smoke seen billowing from motorway tunnel with drivers told to 'stay in cars'

Expats take to social media to react to 'unbearable' UK heatwave that 'feels like a sauna'

'90 feels like 120 here': US expats react to 'unbearable' heatwave that makes UK 'feel like a sauna'

Jennifer Abbot, 69, was discovered stabbed to death in her Camden home

Woman, 66, arrested on suspicion of killing film director in 'Rolex murder'

Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer poses with a personalised England shirt as he meets with the England Women's football team, the Lionesses, at St George's Park in Staffordshire, England.

PM unveils new school PE drive as he meets Lionesses to give pupils 'opportunity to play for England'

Garner-Abbey had gone to the hotel with 22 year old Philip Wood, who was her partner at the time, but isn’t the father of the unborn child.

Pregnant teenager jailed for 'throwing rocks and stoking fires' in Rotherham migrant riots

F1 Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi

What have critics said about F1: The Movie?

HMP Dorchester Prison, Dorset, Britain, UK

Violence ‘excessively high’ in prisons driven by overcrowding and drugs, report reveals

Sexual predator Chinese student Zhenhao Zou has been jailed

Chinese PhD student jailed for life for raping 10 women offered to be chemically castrated for lighter sentence