Expectant parents killed in lorry crash in Kent died after 'Give Way' sign turned the wrong way
TWO young parents-to-be were killed in a horror crash at a 'treacherous' junction where the Give Way sign was facing 'the wrong way'.
Josh Alexander, 21, and Jessica Poole, 18, who were expecting a baby boy together, died when a truck crashed into their car in Woodchurch. Knowsin June last year.
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The couple were heading to work delivering takeaways as they tried to earn extra money ahead of the arrival of their newborn baby, who they were 'excited' to meet.
It came just weeks after Josh shared a photo of a baby's romper, a positive pregnancy test and a scan of their son in the womb.
Captioning the March 19 Facebook post, the dad-to-be said, “November 2023. See you then, little one.”
They were on their way to Happy Valley Chinese, where they had taken shifts to earn extra money money when the horror accident happened.
Inquest heard on Friday Police believe “heavily worn” road markings and a rotated Give Way sign at the intersection may have played a role in the crash.
PC Simon Masterson, a forensic collision investigator at Kent Police, said Josh had failed to recognize he was approaching a junction as he drove west along Plurenden Road.
Mr Masterson said: “The give way sign on Plurenden Road, which was 11 meters from the junction, had been rotated 61 degrees.
“The road markings were badly worn in several places. The approach triangle was also worn but visible.
“There were no warning signs on Plurenden Road for the intersection ahead. This could have caused confusion for the approaching driver.
“The worn lines and twisted sign may have been a contributing factor.”
The inquest heard that dashcam footage from the truck traveling along Bethersden Road shows the Corsa approaching the intersection.
PC Masterson described Josh as being 'calm' and 'in control of the vehicle'.
The images showed that the Corsa had “no delay”, approaching the intersection at “constant speed”.
But the video also appears to show that Josh was distracted by his phone for a brief moment.
PC Masterson said: “I am satisfied his arm was extended to touch the phone.”
The inquest at Oakwood House in Maidstone found that Josh had used navigation apps on his phone for directions while he was away the driving.
He probably checked one of these apps just before he unintentionally crossed the intersection and drove into the path of an oncoming DAF truck.
Based on the footage, it was determined that Josh would have been driving between 80 and 90 km/h, within the 100 km/h limit on Plurenden Road.
PC Masterson added: “Josh did not realize he was approaching a junction.
“He communicates on a mobile phone immediately before entering Bethersden Road.
“His actions indicate he was unaware of the intersection ahead.”
While it is believed that Josh was using a satellite navigation app on his phone, as he had only moved to the area in April, it is not clear which specific app he was using at the time of the crash.
During the investigation, PC Masterson himself approached the intersection Googling Cards, Apple Maps and Waze, the most used navigation apps.
All three failed to warn that there was an intersection ahead.
With this in mind, and the worn markings and twisted sign, it was said that Josh may not have known to yield.
'INEAVOIDABLE COLLISION'
In relation to the driver of the box truck, PC Masterson said there was “nothing he could physically do to avoid the collision.”
He added: “Josh didn't realize he was approaching a junction.
“It is very likely that he was distracted by his mobile phone with which he is communicating.”
No drugs or alcohol found in Josh or Jessica's system.
PC Masterson also said the front airbags on Josh's car had not deployed, but said this would not have made any difference.
Concluding, coroner Katrina Hepburn said: “There was nothing to indicate they were traveling at excessive speed.
“While we speculate as to whether or not he saw the sign and whether the cell phone was in use, I make no findings on this matter.
“The crash caused significant and catastrophic injuries and the deaths were due to a road traffic collision.”
The coroner added that she will now write to Kent County Council's (KCC) highways department about what improvements have been made to the junction. This will determine whether she writes a report on the prevention of future deaths.
A KCC spokesperson said: “We are aware of the investigation and are awaiting the letter from the coroner.
“Every time a serious or fatal accident occurs on one of our roads, we work with Kent Police, expert engineers and coroners to investigate any causal factors.
“Once these are known, we will carry out any work deemed necessary to prevent a similar incident from happening again.
“Every death on our roads is one too many and we will continue to ensure we keep our roads safe.”
'TORN APART'
Speak with KentOnline After the inquest, Josh's father Ben Sissens said he believes the approach to the intersection was “treacherous”.
“The national speed limit is 100km/h, but approaching an intersection at that speed without slowing down or warning is dangerous,” he said.
“Many other rural roads have signs warning you to reduce speed or junk lanes warning of a dangerous intersection.”
Mr Sissens says he wants to put pressure on KCC to improve the safety of Plurenden Road, where he says no 100km/h speed limit should be allowed without warnings for the junction ahead.
“If he was going 60 km/h he might have seen the lane markings a little easier,” he said.
“What happened is terrible. It has torn the families apart and I want to make sure others will do the same babies can go home to their families.
The enormous gap I have left in my life is indescribable.”
Aimee Poole, Jessica's mother
“I spoke to the other driver and told him we don't blame him.
“I don't blame him in any way, it was a catastrophic series of events and I don't want this to change his life. I don't want him to take the blame.”
He previously said his son Josh was his “proudest achievement”, adding that it was a “void that I don't think can ever be filled”.
The inquest heard that Jessica had been “so excited to meet her son”.
Her mother, Aimee Poole, said: “Jessica was a beautiful girl.
“She was my best friend and I would choose her company over anyone else.
“The enormous gap I leave in my life is indescribable.
“We must have told each other we loved each other at least twenty times a day.”
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