Devastated family of Brit woman, 50, killed in three-way French road smash that also left her Rabbi husband severely injured pay tribute to ‘devoted’ Jewish mother-of-ten
- At least three people lost their lives in smash and ‘many children’ were injured
- British victim was named as Miriam Posen, a mother-of-ten from Stamford Hill
A British mother-of-ten is among the dead and injured after three vehicles were caught up in a horror crash in northern France.
The British victim’s identity was reported by the Jewish Chronicle as Miriam Posen, of the Orthodox Jewish community in Stamford Hill, London, who was travelling in a van containing seven members of her family.
Izzy Posen, Miriam’s eldest son, paid tribute to his mother on social media earlier today, as friends and family of Mrs Posen gathered at her north London home to rally around children she had left behind.
‘My mother sadly passed away yesterday in tragic circumstances. She was young and healthy and full of the spirit of life. I loved her so much,’ he wrote.
A family spokesman said: ‘Miriam was a devoted mother who was loved so much by her family and friends. She was a very special person who will be greatly missed by all who knew her.
‘We are still coming to terms with what has happened. It was only on Sunday night.’
Miriam is believed to have been 50 years old. Two of her daughters are known to have been injured in the smash and are receiving treatment along with the children’s father, it is understood.
A spokesman for local emergency services who attended the crash site said: ‘Three people are dead and dozens injured, including many children’
Emergency services are pictured at the scene of the crash yesterday evening
A local emergency services spokesperson who attended the crash site said: ‘Three people are dead and dozens injured, including many children.
‘A van with a British family of seven people on board was one of the three vehicles involved in the crash.
‘A British woman died instantly, along with two others travelling in another vehicle.
‘The other passengers – aged between six and 48 – were taken to hospital in Cambrai and Arras.’
Mrs Posen was in France with her husband and some of her ten children, the family spokesperson said.
Mrs Posen was an ultra-Orthodox Jew who only spoke in Yiddish and observed a strict dress code.
Izzy revealed how he was estranged from his parents after he broke from the closed world of ultra-Orthodox Judaism, teaching himself English and last year graduating with a degree in physics and philosophy from Bristol University.
But this did not prevent him from taking to social media to share a touching tribute to his late mother.
At least three people, including a woman from the UK, are among those who lost their lives in the collision on the A26 motorway, south of Lens, on Sunday evening
The accident that killed Mrs Posen took place on Sunday, shortly after 6pm, on a section of the motorway where road works were taking place, between the towns of Neuville-Saint-Vaast and Thélus.
A second vehicle contained four people, a 75-year-old woman and a 45-year-old man, who also died.
The other two passengers in this car were a 14-year-old boy and a 79-year-old man who were in a ‘critical condition’.
The third vehicle involved was a car with four passengers, including three children, aged between six and 33.
Prosecutors in nearby Arras have opened an enquiry into the accident.
French regional state prefect Jacques Billant said witnesses to the horrific crash were ‘being offered psychological counselling.’
A source said that some survivors remained in a ‘life threatening position’ in intensive care on Monday morning.
The section of the A26 motorway was closed off until late into the night on Saturday, as six emergency medical teams attended the scene.
Around 60 firefighters were also scrambled to the crash site to try to rescue the victims.
The incident occurred at the height of the holiday season, when thousands of British drivers make their way across the Channel.
An FCDO spokesperson told MailOnline: ‘We are in contact with the local authorities following a road traffic accident in France and have offered our assistance to the family.’