A woman tragically lost her life after her car stalled on the M5 and was crushed from behind Amy Austin, aged 28, passed away two days after the collision at Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital on December 14, 2021.
During an inquest held today at Exeter Coroner’s Court, chilling witness accounts depicted the moment Amy’s black Vauxhall Corsa came to a standstill on the southbound lane of the M5 near Junction 31 on December 12, 2021, at 9:15pm.
Amy’s motor reportedly broke down in the third lane while heading towards the A30 for Okehampton. Despite the use of flickering hazard lights, they were faint and although many managed to dodge the stationary vehicle, one stunned BMW driver didn’t have that split second to react.
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The mum who was driving the BMW with her sleeping son onboard, shared her utter astonishment and regret at the scene. Questioned by police, she insisted on her typical driving carefulness and subsequent checks cleared her of any influence from booze or drugs, reports Devon Live.
Investigator DC John Greathead relayed to the inquest what flashed through the BMW driver’s mind as the catastrophe unfolded: “The first thing she said she was aware of was her own vehicle lights reflecting on the stationary car and then a bang. She put that down to a lack of concentration on her part.”
Amy wasn’t wearing her seatbelt, leading officials to believe she may have unbuckled to escape or grab her phone. When the paramedics arrived, Amy wasn’t breathing and despite immediate CPR, she was quickly taken to hospital.
She suffered severe brain damage and doctors cited hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy as the cause of death, with no drugs or alcohol involved. Her choice to donate organs helped many after her passing.
(Image: PA)
Phone checks revealed Amy was trapped for about five minutes before the crash, calling for roadside help and spending two minutes on hold before getting through. PC Lee Perry, former forensic collision investigator, described the call with the operator as ‘very disjointed’, with the operator struggling to understand Amy and her unable to give her location.
He said: “At some point during the conversation, there is a loud crashing noise which I believe is the collision occurring. The operative spends another 30 seconds trying to speak to Miss Austin, not knowing a collision has occurred and terminates the call.”
A forensic probe into Amy’s well-maintained car found that a timing chain crankshaft drive gear fault caused the vehicle to lose power and halt. Mr Perry noted: “The mechanical failure would have been instantaneous, but there would have been potential indications of some issues with the vehicle.”
He added: “In fairness to Amy, I don’t believe she would have been aware that the noises her car was making would have resulted in the vehicle coming to a stop on the journey she took.” PC Perry deemed the crash ‘unavoidable’ and said it was unclear whether braking before the impact would have altered the tragic outcome.
Amy’s family raised concerns about the lack of road warning signs post-breakdown. DC John Greathead confirmed that Highways England (HE) initially set up warning signs in the wrong location due to uncertainty about where the vehicle had broken down.
A motorway camera that could have captured the fatal crash was found to be “obsolete” with no spare parts available, the inquest heard. Confronted by the assistant coroner whether a functioning camera would have provided a visual on the crash site, DC Greathead said decisively: “Yes.”
Assistant coroner Stephen Covell has called an intermission on the inquest, demanding a rep from Highways England spill the beans on road warnings during the crash, their process for flagging issues and whether they’ve swapped out the dodgy camera. He’s got to decide if he should issue a Prevention of Future Deaths report but is lacking vital evidence from Highways England (HE).
“If I’m made aware of risks to the public potentially still ongoing, I need to consider making a Prevention of Future Deaths report, but I don’t feel I can do that as I don’t have the evidence of HE.”
Amy ran her own sweet shop, whilst also keeping things spick and span at TLH Leisure Resorts working as a housekeeper. Her relatives added: “Amy’s bubbly energy lit up every room, she was definitely the glue that held our family together after our mum passed away in 2014.
“She was also an incredible baker and would deliver cookies to everyone. She even walked from Torquay to Newton Abbot once, when her car was in the garage, to ensure her customer received their order. She’s going to be greatly missed by her family and hundreds of her friends and colleagues.”