A woman has revealed how she decided to release her husband’s ashes into space because of his love of astronomy.

Claire Mercer, from Rotherham, was widowed in 2019 after her husband Jason died aged 44 in an accident on a smart motorway near Sheffield.

The 44-year-old widow, who has since campaigned for the demolition of smart motorways in Britain, arranged for Jason’s ashes to be scattered 100,000 feet above the earth.

The service is offered by Aura Flights, which works with Nottingham-based funeral directors AW Lymn.

In conversation with the BBC NewsClaire fought back tears as she said: ‘The photo of Jason on the outside of the bus and the huge panoramic view you get. It literally took my breath away.”

Jason’s ashes were loaded into a capsule attached to a stratospheric balloon. They can then travel around the world several times before falling into raindrops and snowflakes.

Claire added: “My husband died in 2019, very suddenly in a car accident, leaving us with the ashes and me not knowing what to do with them.

“Jason was really into astronomy. He had a very large telescope […] and it just really seemed to hit home. It just made me so happy that I did it.”

Matthew Lymn Rose of AW Lymn. added: ‘The stratospheric winds will pick up the ash and for a few months they will be spread around the world and then they will be dispersed back to Earth with wind, rain or snow.’

Jason, 44, died on the M1 when he was hit by a lorry on a section of the road without a hard shoulder.

Passenger Alexandru Murgeanu, 22, died in the same incident and before that, at least two more people have been killed on the same road since 2018.

In 2021, Claire called for police to investigate Highways England after a coroner said her husband could have survived the crash on the M1 if there had been an emergency lane.

She said she hoped the inquest would be a catalyst for an investigation into possible corporate manslaughter charges.

Claire said at the time: ‘After over a year and a half of campaigning, today I feel like someone has listened and has finally taken steps to tackle the use of these death traps.

‘Since Jason’s death, I have been determined to bring about change to ensure that more families do not have to experience the heartbreak of losing a loved one due to the completely senseless removal of emergency lanes on busy highways without adequate safety measures in place .’

In April 2023, the government announced that all new smart motorways would be scrapped due to a lack of motorist confidence and financial pressure.

Ministers had already halted the construction of new smart highways in January 2022, which convert the hard shoulder into an active traffic lane and apply variable speed limits.

It pledged not to continue the rollout until it had five years of safety data from existing programs.

Claire previously accused the government of ‘slowness’ after failing to act on a smart highways dossier her lawyers sent ministers containing ‘compelling evidence relating to safety concerns’, drawing parallels between the Post Office and Horizon scandal and the National Highways and the government’s approach to smart highways.

“It is significant that the government is the sole stakeholder in both the post office and the national highways,” she told the Telegraph.

A Louisiana truck driver is accused of causing a 160-car pileup that killed eight people by driving down the highway in a “superfog” and crashing into cars in front of him.

Ronald Britt, 61, was charged with negligent homicide for his role in a fiery pile-up on the highway which resulted in eight deaths last year.

Britt was speeding on Interstate 55 west of New Orleans on Oct. 23 when he struck the rear of a car that had stopped in the left lane behind several other vehicles, Louisiana State Police said in a statement Tuesday.

The “super fog” of swamp fire smoke and dense fog ensnared more than 160 vehicles, authorities said.

Eight people were killed in the multi-collision crash and 63 were injured, including 60-year-old James Fleming. His wife, Barbara Fleming, 69, survived but was seriously injured in the crash.

It took a month for the highway to fully reopen after repairs were made to the road and bridge, both damaged by the accidents and vehicle fires.

Britt, a commercial truck driver from Lafayette, was arrested on multiple charges, including negligent homicide, negligent wounding, reckless operation and other traffic-related offenses, state police said.

Britt voluntarily surrendered to authorities on Monday. It is not known whether he has an attorney who can speak on his behalf.

Another driver hit in the crash is still recovering from his injuries.

Months after the crash, Will Lee — who was stuck on I-55 for hours — is still in pain from injuries he sustained when his head was sliced ​​open during the collision.

Negligent homicide in Louisiana carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a possible $5,000 fine.

Drone footage and videos showed apocalyptic scenes from the aftermath of the wrecks, showing a long stretch of mangled and scorched cars near New Orleans.

Vehicles were crushed, rammed and some were engulfed in flames. Many people initially stood on the side of the road or on the roof of their car and watched the disaster in disbelief, while others called for help.

Piles of mangled cars, piled on top of each other as firefighters trudged through the rubble, were left on the highway as the sun set.

Hours after the crashes, the smell of burning wreckage still lingered in the area.

Christopher Coll, 41, was one of the drivers in one of the pile-ups. Coll could smell smoke as he heard the sounds of crashing cars and popping tires.

“I was already hitting the brakes and slowing down when an F-250 pulled up on top of my work trailer and took me for a ride,” Coll said. The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate.

He was able to kick open the passenger door to escape and then helped others by pulling one person out through a car window.

Clarencia Patterson Reed was also among the wave of wrecked cars as she drove to Manchac with her wife and niece.

Reed told the newspaper she saw people waving their hands to stop, but when she did, her car was hit from behind and side by two other vehicles.

“It was ‘Boom.’ Boom. “All you heard was a crash for at least 30 minutes,” Reed said.

She was able to climb out of her car, but her wife was pinned down, injuring her leg and side.

While 25 people were taken to hospital with injuries ranging from minor to critical, many others sought medical attention on their own, authorities said.

Gov. John Bel Edwards asked for prayers Monday “for those injured and killed” and called on blood donors to replenish dwindling supplies.

The Louisiana State Police shared aerial photos on their Facebook page of the crashed cars and extensive debris on both the northbound and southbound lanes of the elevated highway, which runs over swamps and open water between Lakes Pontchartrain and Maurepas.

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By Isabelle Stanley for Dailymail.Com

Published: 10:05 AM EST, March 3, 2024 | Updated: 12:11 EST, March 3, 2024

A ROBOT dog could put an end to traffic jams – as the hi-tech pooch gets to work on a British motorway.

National Highways has started using technology called Spot at locations across the South West to tackle traffic congestion.

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The white robot machine wants to take over the role of workers who conduct surveys on our roads.

It means that all types of motorists – including commuters – will not be stopped by inspectors.

Spot aims to capture information in difficult locations, where employees cannot reach, to also make travel smoother.

The robot dog wanders over steep banks, culverts, under bridges and other structures.

National Highways said it is a “cost-effective” alternative to placing human inspectors in certain areas.

It will also “reduce the need for costly and disruptive traffic management”.

Guy Swains, Engineering Manager, said: “Initial proof of concept testing has been encouraging and we are now in the process of live testing the robotic instrument, with a view to using it through our contractors in future research work, particularly at sites where challenges to our traditional methods.

“As part of an ongoing exploration, Spot's capabilities will be tested in different terrains and environments and in different weather and soil conditions.

“The data from the trials will also be recorded and analyzed and depending on the results we will hopefully be able to measure an improvement in safety methods and efficiency and use the technology in our future work.”

Matt Ewing, Business Development Manager, added: “Technology can keep our people safe and repeatedly capture high-quality data, and the fact that Spot is conducting this testing demonstrates the capacity and evidence base for further testing, while increasing efficiency in the delivery of work today is being improved.

“It's about finding the right applications, and the team is focused on realizing Spot's potential.”

By Angie Raphael for Nca Newswire

Published: 07:00 EST, February 18, 2024 | Updated: 07:52 EST, February 18, 2024

By Kevin Airs for Daily Mail Australia

Published: 09:41 EST, February 10, 2024 | Updated: 4:22 PM EST, February 10, 2024

Disturbing audio from air traffic control has revealed a moment of utter panic on a private jet moments before it crashed on a Florida highway, killing two people.

The sound captured on board the Bombardier Challenger 60 aircraft appears to be a sound of panicked voices or a malfunctioning aircraft, but it is impossible to say.

This was the last transmission from the plane, which had five people on board, before it crashed on I-75 outside Naples Friday afternoon at 3:15 p.m.

Three people survived the tragedy, although details about whether they were injured have not been shared.

None of those on board have been identified and a cause has yet to be determined, although one expert suggested the loss of both engines could have been caused by a bird strike.

The plane was one minute away from making an emergency landing at Naples airport, but another audio moment shows how the pilot already knew they wouldn't make it.

“Okay, Challenger, Hop-A-Jet 823, lost both engines, emergency. I'm making an emergency landing,' the pilot said.

Air traffic control told colleagues that there was an emergency and informed the pilot that he could land on runway 23.

But the pilot replied: 'We can land, but we won't make it to the runway. We lost both engines.”

Painful seconds of silence pass before a moment of pure, unintelligible panic hits the pilot.

Air traffic control sends back, but it is already too late. The next transmission is another warning from the controller that an emergency was in progress.

“Everyone on standby, there's an emergency going on, everyone on standby,” she said.

Seconds later, a rescue helicopter requests permission and it is granted immediately. The plane landed just 7.5 kilometers from the airport.

Numerous aviation disasters, even involving much larger jetliners, have been caused by bird strikes, including the 'Miracle on the Hudson' US Airways Flight 1549 in 2009.

Dramatic photos and videos taken by passing motorists showed the burning wreckage and debris strewn across the highway.

One video showed an explosion rocking the burning plane, and seconds later the charred left wing fell off.

At least one brave motorist was seen rushing to the crashed plane, hoping to help the survivors despite the extreme danger.

According to data from FlightAware, the flight was en route from Ohio State University Airport to Naples Airport, although the college says the plane was only using its facilities and had no connection to the university itself.

The plane was owned by Hop-a-Jet, a Florida-based private charter company, and had no ties to the university.

The company said it had received “confirmed reports of an accident involving one of our leased aircraft near Naples” and that it would send a team to the crash site.

“Our immediate concern is for the well-being of our passengers, crew members and their families,” the report said.

The Federal Aviation Authority closed all southbound lanes for 24 hours while they investigated the accident.

One FAA investigator was already on scene and more were expected to arrive this weekend. A preliminary report should be issued within 30 days.

Police and emergency workers flooded the scene and state forces opened the northern country only four hours after the accident.

By Noa Halff for Dailymail.Com

Published: 3:53 PM EST, February 9, 2024 | Updated: 5:14 PM EST, February 9, 2024

By Antoinette Milienos of Daily Mail Australia

Published: 7:51 PM EST, February 4, 2024 | Updated: 8:59 PM EST, February 4, 2024