Parents-to-be, 21 & 18, killed in lorry crash died after Give Way sign ‘turned the wrong way’
TWO young parents-to-be died in a horror crash at a “treacherous” junction where the Give Way sign was “turned the wrong way”.
Josh Alexander, 21, and Jessica Poole, 18, who were expecting a baby boy together, died when a lorry ploughed into their car in Woodchurch, Kent, in June last year.
The couple had been on their way to work delivering takeaways to earn extra cash ahead of the arrival of their newborn, who they were “excited” to meet.
It came just weeks after Josh shared a picture of a baby’s onesie, a positive pregnancy test and a scan of their son inside the womb.
Captioning the March 19 Facebook post, the future dad said: “November 2023. See you then lil one.”
They had been heading to Happy Valley Chinese where they had taken on shifts when the horror accident happened.
Inquests on Friday, heard cops believe “heavily worn” road markings and a rotated Give Way sign near the crossroads, could have been contributing factors in the crash.
Giving evidence, PC Simon Masterson, forensic collision investigator at Kent Police, said Josh had failed to recognise 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 metres from the junction, was rotated by 61 degrees.
“The road markings were heavily worn in several places. The approach triangle was also worn but discernible.
“There were no warning signs at Plurenden Road of the crossroads ahead. This could have caused confusion to the driver approaching.
“The worn lines and the rotated sign could have been a contributing factor.”
The inquests heard that dashcam footage from the skip lorry which was travelling along Bethersden Road shows the Corsa approaching the junction.
PC Masterson described Josh as looking “calm” and “in control of the vehicle.”
The footage showed there was “no deceleration” by the Corsa, which approached the crossroad at a “constant speed.”
But video also appears to show Josh was distracted by his phone for a brief moment.
PC Masterson said: “I’m confident his arm was stretched out to touch the phone.”
The inquests at Oakwood House in Maidstone heard Josh had used sat nav apps on his phone for directions while out driving.
He is believed to have been checking one of these apps just before unwittingly driving across the junction and into the path of an oncoming DAF skip lorry.
Based on the footage it was found Josh would have been driving between 50mph and 56mph, within the 60mph limit for Plurenden Road.
PC Masterson added: “Josh failed to recognise he was approaching a junction.
“He interacts with a mobile phone immediately before entering Bethersden Road.
“His actions suggest he was not aware of the junction ahead.”
While Josh is believed to have been using a sat nav app on his phone, as he had only moved to the area in April, it is not clear which specific app he was on at the time of the crash.
During investigations, PC Masterson approached the junction himself using Google Maps, Apple Maps and Waze, the most common sat nav apps.
All three of them failed to give an alert that a crossroads junction was ahead.
With this in mind, and the worn markings and rotated sign, it was said that Josh may not have known he had to give way.
‘UNAVOIDABLE COLLISION’
Regarding the driver of the skip lorry, PC Masterson said there was “nothing he was physically able to do to avoid the collision.”
He added: “Josh failed to recognise he was approaching a junction.
“It is highly likely he was distracted by his mobile phone he is seen interacting with.”
No drugs or alcohol were found in Josh’s system or Jessica’s.
PC Masterson also mentioned the front air bags of Josh’s car did not deploy but said this would not have made any difference.
In conclusion, coroner Katrina Hepburn said: “There was nothing to suggest they were travelling at excessive speed.
“Whilst we speculate about whether or not he saw the sign, or if the mobile phone was in use, I don’t make any findings in relation to this.
“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 regarding what improvements have been made at the crossroads. This will determine whether she writes a prevention of future deaths report.
A KCC spokesperson said: “We are aware of the inquests and we await the letter from the coroner.
“Whenever there is a serious or fatal crash on one of our roads we work with Kent Police, expert engineers and coroners to investigate any causation factors that are identified.
“Once these are known we carry out any work deemed to be needed to help mitigate a similar incident from happening again.
“One death on our roads is one too many and we will continue to make sure we keep our roads safe.”
‘RIPPED APART’
Speaking to KentOnline after the inquest, Josh’s father, Ben Sissens, said he believes the approach to the crossroads is “treacherous”.
“The national speed limit is 60mph but if you’re approaching a junction at that speed with no deceleration or notification, it’s dangerous,” he said.
“In plenty of other rural roads there are signs which warn you to reduce speed or rumble strips warning of a hazardous junction.”
Mr Sissens says he wants to put pressure on KCC to improve the safety of Plurenden Road, which he says should not be 60mph with no warnings of the junction ahead.
“If he was doing 40mph, he may have seen the road markings a bit easier,” he said.
“What has happened is horrific. It has ripped the families apart and I want to make sure other babies can go home to their families.
The huge gap left in my life is indescribable.”
Aimee Poole, Jessica's mother
“I’ve spoken to the other driver and I have told him we don’t blame him.
“I don’t blame him whatsoever, it was a catastrophic set of events and I don’t want this to change his life. I don’t want him to carry the guilt.”
He previously said his son Josh was his “proudest achievement” and added the “void I feel can never be filled”.
The inquests heard that Jessica had been “so excited to meet her baby boy”.
Her mother, Aimee Poole, said: “Jessica was a beautiful girl.
“She was my best friend and I would choose her company over anyone.
“The huge gap left in my life is indescribable.
“We must have told each other we loved each other at least 20 times a day.”