Three dead after car towing caravan crashes while driving wrong way on M40

A Subaru Forester towing a caravan was seen travelling in the wrong direction on the northbound carriageway of the motorway shortly before 4pm yesterday (Monday, October 15).

A few minutes later, the car was in collision with two other vehicles, a Ford Mondeo and a Ford Focus near junction six for Lewknor.

The driver and a passenger of the Subaru, both aged in their 80s, and the driver of the Mondeo, a man in his 30s, died.

The carriageway was closed until this morning while emergency services attended and resurfacing work took place.

Senior investigating officer Sergeant Beth Walton, from the Serious Collision Investigation Unit, said: “We are in the early stages of the investigation, in which sadly three people died and our thoughts are with their families.

“We are in the process of contacting witnesses who provided a report to us and are grateful for their support.

“I would ask anyone who has footage not to share it and to remove it from social media out of respect for the families and friends of the people who died.”

Anyone with footage of the collision, or of the car towing the caravan, or with valid information is asked to contact police as soon as possible.

Call 101 or visit https://www.thamesvalley.police.uk/tua/tell-us-about/cor/tell-us-about-existing-case-report/ quoting reference 832 (October 15).