Traffic on the M6 had come to a standstill. Her parents had just filtered into the second lane when they were hit directly from behind by another car. The occupants of the car that hit them left on foot and were later found by police dogs hiding in a nearby industrial estate. The driver of the car was in his early 20s.

The crash killed Victoria’s mother Patricia, instantly, while David was transferred to hospital where he later died of his injuries.

Victoria and her fellow siblings received a call from police officers in the early hours of the morning, which caused a significant amount of shock and trauma. The loss of Patricia and David left a big void within the family.

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Victoria's parents David and Patricia were killed in a motorway crash

Losing your parents so suddenly is something you simply do not expect to happen. I am sharing my parents’ story in their memory and call on everyone, particularly drivers, to use roads safely.

After the driver was sentenced, Victoria and her sister organised through the police family liaison officer to pay him a visit and ask him questions which had been swirling in their minds ever since the crash took place. Victoria felt it brought her and her family some much needed closure with regards to the sudden death of their parents and has made the grieving process ever so slightly easier as time has passed.

Victoria is sharing her story with Brake, as she wants to raise awareness that crashes like this can happen at any time, anywhere, to anyone.