Inquest: Seven-year-old Eloise Jackson died after crash with lorry in Collingbourne Ducis

Her family and friends now hope that a new road safety campaign calling for lorries to be re-routed and a new speed limit will be ‘one of her legacies’.

Eloise Jackson had been on her way home after a trip to the recreation ground in Collingbourne Ducis with her mum Laura when the collision happened on the A338 Church Street on July 13, 2021 at around 6.20pm.

An inquest on Tuesday, November 1 at Wiltshire and Swindon Coroner’s Court in Salisbury was told she was treated for serious injuries at the scene and taken to Salisbury District Hospital where she was pronounced dead.

Collingbourne Ducis - which dates back to the Domesday Book and has a population of just 1,000 - has seen a rise in recent years in HGVs 'thundering' through the tiny roads, villagers say. 

A petition calling for new road safety measures was launched in the wake of Eloise's death.

Philip Palmer, a close family friend who represented the Jacksons at the inquest, said the increasing volume of HGV traffic is 'totally inappropriate' for the types of roads in the area.

He said: "The largest vehicle anticipated when these roads were made was a big horse and cart, not these six-axle HGVs."

He added that the area of the road where Eloise died is an ‘accident blackspot’ which has seen other collisions - including a road fatality following a two-car crash in December 2020.

A statement provided by her mum at the inquest said that Eloise had learnt to ride a bike during lockdown but hadn't ridden it much. On the day of the incident, her daughter had been “frustrated and agitated” and she had suggested a walk to help calm Eloise down.

Eloise took her green BMX bicycle and had a “happy” ride at the recreation ground.

The pair left after around 20 minutes and Eloise was reminded to push her bike but instead hopped on it, picking up speed as she went downhill.

Her mother’s statement said she was screaming her name but couldn’t run fast enough to catch up with her daughter and later described seeing her completely still near the lorry.

The driver of the Volvo articulated HGV, Rodney Motonga, had been heading to Bristol and he had taken the A338 along Collingbourne Ducis, a road he was used to travelling on both for work and personally.

He stopped near a bend to give way to another HGV to allow it and another car to pass on the narrow road before slowly moving off again. He then saw someone in a state of panic and got out to see what was going on.

In his statement, which was read out by coroner Ian Singleton, he said that “to this day I do not know how the collision happened” and that he did not see the young girl until he got out of the vehicle.

Collision investigator PC Steve Fair reported that the bicycle travelling down the hill towards the junction of Church Street failed to stop at the end of the lane and went into the A338 colliding with the first or second nearside tyre of the trailer of the lorry.

In his report he said the angle between the tractor unit and the semi-trailer would lead to the nearside of the semi-trailer not to have been visible through the nearside exterior rear-view mirrors, effectively creating a ‘blind spot’.

He also said due to the size and weight of the vehicle the driver would not have felt the impact.

Coroner Ian Singleton gave a conclusion of road traffic collision. He said that on July 13 2021 Eloise had been returning from a walk with her mother when she mounted her pedal cycle contrary to her mother’s instructions which headed downhill towards the A338 and collided with the first or second nearside tyre of the trailer and sustained “significant traumatic injuries”.

A tribute from her parents Laura and James, and older sister Anaiis, which was previously released after the incident, said: “How can we describe our Eloise? Her nickname was 'fizzy' as she had such a bubbly personality, full of life and laughter, love and giggles.”

Collingbournes Road Safety Working Group is a campaign working to reduce speed and the number of HGVs using the A338 through Collingbourne Ducis and Collingbourne Kingston.

It is supported by Eloise's Army, a project set up by Mrs Jackson to raise funds, campaign, and honour Eloise's memory.

Mr Palmer, who is the parish clerk of neighbouring Collingbourne Kingston, said: “We have two main problems - speed and HGV traffic. It's always been a concern about the volume of traffic but in the last few years, people are more conscious of how many are coming through.

"They are thundering through pretty much constantly. It is the fact that had [the HGV driver] not been there she might not have collided with him."

He added: “It’s had a big effect on everyone here.”

He said that with a new logistics centre expected to open nearby, the ‘volume of traffic is only going to get worse’.

Danny Kruger, MP for Devizes, said: "Eloise's death was a terrible tragedy which devastated the entire community of Collingbourne Ducis. Local people are rightly very angry that their complaints about the dangers of the A338 have fallen on deaf ears for too long.

"For the past year I have worked with them to try to make the improvements that are needed. Nothing we can do now will make things right for the Jackson family. In memory of Eloise we must do everything that we can to prevent another awful tragedy."

Earlier this year, the Jacksons decided to leave the village where they had lived for 14 years and relocate to Devizes. In June the couple had a third daughter, Ottilie.

In a Facebook post this summer, Mrs Jackson wrote: "We leave Collingbourne with a bitter taste in our mouths sadly but want to thank friends that have supported us and showed compassion and continue to think of Eloise and all that we have endured this past year."

For more information on why local newspapers cover inquests, click here.