Tributes paid to son killed in M4 tragedy (From Gazette Series)

Tributes paid to son killed in M4 tragedy

A FATHER has paid tribute this week to his son who was killed along with two friends in a horrific motorway crash just before Christmas.

Rod Alexander said his son Philip, 31, would be "deeply missed" not only by his family but also by the wider Kingswood and Wotton-under-Edge communities where he had grown up.

Philip died when the Ford Mondeo he was travelling in crashed into a nine-vehicle pile-up on the M4 near Slough in Berkshire on Saturday, December 17.

Mr Alexander had been to London with friends Gavin and Karen Easthope, who also both lost their lives in the shocking accident, and Victoria Newns to see heavy metal band Orange Goblin in concert.

Brother and sister Gavin, 30, and Karen, 24, from Kingswood were both killed instantly when their car collided with two lorries, three heavy good vehicles and four other cars.

The three friends had in fact just formed their own heavy metal band, Dinosaur Viet Nam, and already had some local gigs booked for the new year.

Philip leaves behind wife Kellie, 29, who he only married two and a half years ago and their 14-month-old daughter Millie. His father Rod and mother Sheila said they had all been overwhelmed by the support they had received from the village.

Mrs Alexander said: "We never knew how much he meant to so many people.

"He was much loved when he was alive, he gave much love."

The fourth passenger of the car Miss Newns, girlfriend of Mr Easthope, survived the crash but was seriously injured. She was taken to John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford for treatment and later moved to the Bristol Royal Infirmary to continue her recovery.

Mr Easthope also leaves a daughter, five-year-old Holly from a previous relationship.

Still very upset at their tragic loss, Mr Alexander told the Gazette this week that his family was finding some comfort in the fact that the three friends were not to blame for what happened.

He said: "We thank God that no blame is attached to them for the cause of the crash - they were in the wrong place at the wrong time."