Inquest into pair who died in A12 crash concludes

Abel Cortinas-Fueris, 19, and Sheera Tinotenda Nyachega, 21, were pronounced dead at the scene of the crash between Marks Tey and Stanway.

Two other passengers in the vehicle were also left with serious injuries during the devastating incident on Monday, November 8 of last year.

Emergency services were called to the scene at about 12.45pm, with the police stating a vehicle had left the major road and struck a tree.

Response - the air ambulance landed in an adjacent field

Police officers, paramedics, and firefighters from Colchester, Witham and the Urban Search and Rescue Team all rushed to the scene, while an air ambulance landed on the road.

An inquest into the pair’s deaths held at Essex Coroners Court concluded on Monday, where it was said they died of “unsurvivable multiple injuries as a result of a road traffic collision”.

The inquest was told the driver, Abel Cortinas-Fueris, and a passenger, Sheera Tinotenda Nyachega, were declared dead at the scene.

Following the incident, the A12 was closed in both directions for up to eight hours while officers investigated and firefighters worked to rescue those trapped in the car.

The police were eventually forced to turn vehicles round in a bid to tackle congestion as traffic was held at a standstill for hours.

Traffic - motorists were eventually asked to turn around after hours of delays

The London-bound carriageway was eventually reopened at about 5.20pm while the Colchester-bound side remained shut for a further three hours.

Speaking at the time, Adam Pipe, head of roads policing at Essex Police, praised drivers for their understanding while also issuing an appeal to the public for dashcam footage.

He added: “Our officers worked hard to turn vehicles around to free the traffic caught up in this incident.

“I want to thank the patience and understanding of everyone stuck in traffic.”

Queues - traffic fell to a standstill

Following the crash, an Essex Police spokesman said: “A vehicle left the road on the northbound carriageway at around 12.45pm.

“Sadly, a man and a woman in the vehicle were pronounced dead at the scene.

“Two other people who were also in the vehicle sustained serious injuries and were taken to hospital for treatment.”