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Sarah Ann Davies

MY DARLING DAUGHTER, MY SISTER, MY BEST FRIEND, MY SOULMATE

Sarah Ann Davies was taken so tragically and suddenly at 2.46am on Sunday 17th September 2006, after being hit and run over by two cars on the dreadful M25 2nd lane, between junctions 2 and 3, southbound (from Dartford Bridge). She'd already escaped from a car crash being driven by her friend while travelling home from Dartford pub with 2 other friends. The 3 friends survived. She was 19 years, 9 months and 7 days old.

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SEPT 2008 - UPDATE
Romford Recorder, Friday 5th September 2008
Headline -
Jurors weep over deaf teenager tragedy
GIRL DEATH CRASH: NO JAIL FOR DRIVER

The driver who caused a terrifying motorway crash that led to the death of a deaf Romford teenaged girl, has avoided a jail sentence.
Victim Sarah-Ann Davies, of Romford, survived the collision but was hit by another car as she walked into the road to warn other motorists.
Simon Allen, of Edith Road, Canvey Island, (Southend) Essex, was fined £1,500 and banned from driving for two years, by a judge at Maidstone Crown Court on 27th August 2008, after being cleared of dangerous driving, but admitting careless driving.
The jury was not told, until after returning verdicts, that 19-year-old Miss Davies was killed in the incident on the M25 at Darenth, Kent.
The judge said Allen's driving was "lamentable" and had horrific consequences, but added: "The fact is, however, my powers are constrained in the light of the jury's verdict."
The court heard Miss Davies was in a Renault Clio driven by close friend Lauren Smith, then 19, in the early hours of September 17, 2006. Miss Smith's brother Lee was also a passenger. All had hearing problems and travelled to a Dartford pub that held functions for the deaf.
John O'Higgins, prosecuting, said Miss Smith was in the middle lane at 50mph when Allen crashed into the back of her at about 70mph.
He said Allen, 41, did not see the Clio until it was too late.
Both cars came to rest on the central reservation, pointing in the opposite direction. "The case against Mr Allen is that he is responsible for a wholly avoidable collision," said Mr O'Higgins.
The jury had to decide whether it amounted to dangerous driving. The prosecution suggested careless driving was inadequate.
Miss Smith had only held a full licence for seven months and not driven on a motorway before.
Mr O'Higgins said the rear lights were on, making it perfectly visible to Allen. The Clio would have been visible for about 500 metres before the collision.
Allen denied he had been inattentive or distracted. He denied dangerous driving, admitting careless driving.
Mr O'Higgins said Miss Davies had been drinking when she stepped into the motorway in a manner which was completely unforseen after the collision.
"In what may have been an attempt to warn other drivers, she was knocked down," he said. "It falls into the category of an event which was unforseen and not a direct consequence of what happened in this accident. For that reason, the defendant is not charged with causing death by dangerous driving. He falls to be dealt with for the lesser offence of careless driving."
The prosecuter said Allen had criminal convictions, as well as an endorsement for speeding shortly before the crash.
Jurors hearing about the tragedy for the first time wept as they left the court. Miss Smith and other friends and relatives were also distressed.
Peter Clark, defending, said Allen's bad driving had appalling consequences. He had been a lorry driver but gave it up after the crash. He was now an installation engineer.

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Sarah had only started her first proper job two weeks before, on 1st September 2006, with Parcel Force in Romford. She lived in Romford, Essex almost all her life.

Sarah was born at Barking Hospital on Wednesday morning of 10th December 1986 at 9.40am, a sister to Victoria who was born two months prematurely in March 1985 at the same hospital. They were close in age, 21 months apart, as both were planned to give each other company and grow old together. We'd lived with Sarah's grandparents - my parents, Ivy and Henry Cordes - in Seven Kings from her birth until 3 days before her 1st birthday when Sarah's dad Jay (my first husband and father of Victoria as well) and I moved into our first house in the Mawney area, Romford, with our 2 daughters.

We first found out that Sarah was Deaf on 10th February 1987, when she was exactly 2 months old after a routine hearing test. Followed by a second opinion at the Ear, Nose and Throat Hospital confirmed her profound congential hearing loss. Her parents are Deaf too but Victoria is hearing. The cause of both Jay and my deafness were unknown at that time apart from the story of Rubella that our mothers contracted during pregnancies in the early sixties. They believed at that time that Rubella caused deafness. As I am profoundly Deaf from birth myself, with encouragment from my hearing family to talk without signing prompted me to teach Sarah to develop her vocals from a very early age to help strengthen her speech and pronounce words for the hearing to understand as she got older. I am glad it paid off as Sarah learned to talk singular words from about 18 months old and went on to speak well with the use of her hearing aids. Sarah started at a school for the Deaf in South Woodford, East London, in September 1989 at the age of 2 years and 9 months. Sadly the school had to close down in July 1990, after 40 years which broke my heart as it was also my school from the ages of 3 to 16. The next school Sarah went to was a local unit for Hearing Impaired at Hacton School in Hornchurch, Essex, which was an intergration of deaf and hearing children. From there, she met twins Lee and Lauren Smith, Gary Cutmore, Shelly-Ann Pye, Mandy Briden and Alex Wood who all went on to become Sarah's firm and best buddies right up to Sarah's departure from this life.

Jay and I parted in 1991 and divorced in 1992, and having sold our house during that time, the girls lived with me alone in a rented house in Horndon Road until I started seeing Andrew in May 1992 and we married exactly a year later in May 1993, with both girls as our bridesmaids. Sarah called Andrew 'Dad' almost from the start and insisted on adopting his surname when she was still only 6 years old. We moved into our own house just down the road two months later in August 1993, after our return from a two-week holiday in Florida, and it's become a home filled with so much love, laughter, ups & downs and memories and a home that Sarah loved very, very much for the next 13 years of her life.

Andrew and I have since given Victoria and Sarah two brothers, both now 12 and 10. * SEPT 2008 now 14 & 12 *. When I was expecting Adam, Sarah wanted a brother so much and it came true for her when Adam was born at Rush Green Hospital in March 1994. Her reason for wanting a brother was to teach and play football with him! Sarah was even more happier when Connor came along in December 1995 at Harold Wood Hospital.


After Hacton, Sarah went to Mill Hall Primary School (now renamed Mary Hare Primary School) for the Deaf in Newbury, Berkshire - in October 1997 when she was in Year 6 (aged 10/11) - her second school for the Deaf since the Sir Winston Churchill Primary School for the Deaf closed down seven years earlier. Mill Hall was a weekly residential school which meant that Sarah stayed at the school 4 nights and 3 nights at home a week, so it gave her a good balance of home and school life. One year later, after passing her entrance exam, Sarah got a place at the Mary Hare Grammar School for Year 7. This secondary school was a termly boarding school, which meant seeing less of Sarah at home. Looking back, it gave Sarah mixed feelings of homesickness and enjoying boarding school life with many Deaf friends and I only wished that a compromise was made at the time between Mary Hare and our LEA (Local Education Authority) to enable Sarah to continue her education at Mary Hare for the next 4 years.

I wont go into detail here, but that was the beginning of Sarah's 'downfall' for the next 2 years. Changing schools again - this time our LEA refused to give us our option of sending Sarah to a different weekly residential school for the Deaf so it was Sanders Draper mainstream school in Hornchurch as a last choice, as our LEA told us. By then, I was more concerned for Sarah's happiness so I went along with their decision, which would mean having Sarah at home everyday and keeping an eye on her progress in mainstream education - which was totally against my principles to be taught in a true Deaf educational setting.

Before long, I began to notice the change in Sarah - at first we put it down to adolescence, a typical teenage growing up - but I soon saw the different side of Sarah, withdrawn and unhappy. I wasn't having any of that to happen to any of my children so with my patience and determination, I was able to eventually get through to Sarah's innermost troubles - and get her to open up to me. My fears were confirmed - the root of her problems was due to loneliness and rejection at the hearing school, despite having a 'Hearing impaired' unit and only 6 Deaf friends to content with during breaktimes - but where were the proper deaf teaching support, interacting with a deaf class, deaf awareness??! One of the other problems was being bullied by the hearing pupils, which the school failed to address. Communicators often took on the 'teaching roles' that I disagreed with.

Sarah was self-harming herself several times by then. That started the 5-month dispute between myself and the LEA in which I kept Sarah at home for her own safety and making my staunch to have Sarah transferred to a school for the Deaf as soon as possible. The LEA caved in after the statement panel meeting in April 2001 and by June 2001, Sarah went to Ovingdean Hall School in Brighton, Sussex. It wasn't a good start to begin with but with the brilliant support from Mrs Bown, the school's Deputy Principal, she gave Sarah 110 per cent and soon we began to see the sweet old Sarah personality resurfacing - with the help of once-a-week counselling sessions she'd had for a year.

I will always be grateful to Mrs Bown for her paramount faith in Sarah and will never ever forget her. Sarah left Ovingdean in Spring 2003, with only one English GCSE grade C to her name. I told Sarah that it didn't matter anymore, referring to her educational qualifications, as she had the rest of her life to prove herself by achieving far bigger things as she went along.

By summer 2003, football changed her life - for the better! Sarah joined Fulham Deaf Ladies football team and in November 2003, she came home with the good news! She was told that she was offered to take part in the selection process for the Great Britain Deaf Ladies Football squad and partipicating in the 2005 Deaflympics in Melbourne, Australia. We were so excited for Sarah - but....the only one regret I have now is never have been able to watch her play for Fulham. Apart from watching her play for Great Britain of course, it was too big an opportunity to miss!

In March 2004, Sarah got a letter from Sharon Hirshman, the then GB manager, offering Sarah a place with GB Deaf Ladies team who'd already won a place in the Deaflympics for the following winter! That was fantastic news! The best news ever to happen to Sarah - come to think of it now, in her short life. All the family were soooo proud of her!

Come December 26th 2004, we all flew out to Melbourne Australia - me, Andrew, Victoria, Adam and Connor met up with Sarah and the whole of the GB mens and womens squads on the connecting flights from Dubai/Singapore/Melbourne at 2am in the morning! Going to Australia was well worth every penny. Sometimes in life, you follow your instincts and go for it. That's exactly what I did for my family and for Sarah - just simply took out a loan to pay for the holiday of a lifetime and to give our wholehearted support for Sarah. Life is too short, which is exactly what has happened to my beautiful daughter - sadly.

More to follow.

Add TributeTributes to Sarah

There have been 107 tributes left for Sarah.

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Life and Soul

Hey Sarah, was just thinking of the great times we used to have with the old gang. Miss our partying days and how you could make me laugh even when I was seeing double!

Never will be the same as you are the twinkle in our sky and have left a breach in all our lifes that can never be filled and will always be noticed.

Hope you liked the tree, will leaf you alone now hehe

Tommy

xXx

Tommy Taylor (Friend)
May 23, 2009

Hi Sarah,
I was looking up details for your memorial and came across this page, been in tears reading it as you know I have two little girls, couldn't bear to lose eithier of them.
I'm STILL involved with GBDWF - can't get away! Just helping out in the Commitee as is Sharon, they seem to be doing well and I'm hoping high for Taiwan.
If u were here, u'd be in that squad, you were always so determined, thats what I liked about you- your iron grit!
At Christmas I was driving back from the Rudolf tournie with Cheryl when we started talking about you, dunnno why. Then all of a sudden the inside car light came on, it was so weird. Kept doing it for ages and Cheryl was saying it must be linked to you, then we realised that the back boot was open! Duh!
Well it shows that you truly are still with us, we all still talk about you and think of you.

Look down on the girls in Taiwan and smile on them!

Lesley xxx

Lesley Reeves Costi May 19, 2009

For my Dad

Darling Sarah, have left you a message in My Candles. Please look after your Grandad who left us on Thursday 26th March at 9.10pm to join you. We all miss you both so very much and always in our thoughts. We are organising your Memorial event to help fundraise to help send your GB Women team to Taipei 2009 Deaflympics on 30th May 2009, will keep you updated. Love you so much, Mummy xxxxxxxxxx

Diane Davies (Mum)
March 28, 2009

woodford schools for the deaf

I REMEMBER YOU SARAH IN SIR WINSTON CHURCHILL NURSERY A BEAUTIFUL FUN LOVING LITTLE GIRL WITHOUT A CARE IN THE WORLD, YOUR MUM A REMARKABLE LADY WHO WORKED HARD WITH YOU, I AM SO PROUD OF YOU FOR MAKING YOUR LIFE SO FULL.
YOUR MUM MAY REMEMBER ME MY NAME IS JULIE, I WAS THE YOUNG BLONDE NURSERY NURSE.
IT BROKE MY HEART WHEN THE SCHOOL CLOSED DOWN BUT I HAVE NEVER FORGOTTEN THOSE SPECIAL CHILDREN I STILL HAVE MANY PHOTOS OF YOU ALL.
SLEEP IN PEACE SARAH
JULIE AYRES (WHITING)

Julie Ayres
February 13, 2009

hi sarah ... hope ur ok up there with all the angels xx sending lots and lots of love to u . i never new u but i feel like i do now through all tributes from ur wonderfull mum xx u were very special to all who s lives u entered into and i have no doubt that in heaven ur special too . look after my angel for me , i would feel a lot better knowing she was in ur care xxlots of love to u , ur mum and family xxxx

Paula Bishop
January 12, 2009

Message from Mummy

My darling Sarah, its New Year's Eve today, tomorrow it is 2009..our 3rd New Year without you.
I try to imagine what you are doing at this time if you were still here with us, expect you'd be partying hard with mates tonight as usual! Who you'd be with now, Kavo, Katie or someone else. Living at home with us or moved out elsewhere. Working for ParcelForce or in another job. You're 22 now, how you would look like now, same hairstyle or something more funky, still dress the way you are comfortable with or become more feminine, who knows. But we all love you as you are, you are still as beautiful as ever and would never want you to change at all.
Here on our side, we cope and get by ok 2 years 3 months and 14 days later without you - but that doesn't mean that we have gotten over you. Absolutely no way. It is still very raw. Still painful. Still hurts. Part of me died when you left us. I have lost a lot of feeling towards life. I don't enjoy foods, socialising, lost sense of smell, taste and have memory lapses. I ache to be with you so much. But the other part of me have to live for the sake of our family. I know you will always tell me to think of your sister, two brothers and Dad and live for them. I won't let you and our family down. I will be with you when Nature or Fate decides it is my time to go.
I still don't want to celebrate the New Year and go out to our friend's tonight but they say it is selfish to be like that. It's not fair as that's the last thing I want to be selfish so I have to try to put everyone else first and myself last. They need to understand that I am still hurting and need to take my time but one thing they need to understand is that I will never get over losing you. My baby, my child, my daughter, my best friend, my soulmate. I gave birth to you, how could people say that in time I would be able to get over or move on without you. I hate those words.
You are everything to me as equal to Victoria, Adam and Connor. I love you all the same with all my heart & my whole life. I am always very proud of you all.
In 2009, I shall try to write more often in here, do a journal perhaps.
Love you eternally, Mummy xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Diane Davies (Mum)
December 31, 2008

Final Chapter

To our Darling Sarah,

The Inquest on Monday 3 Nov & Tuesday 4 Nov brought the final chapter to a close - after more than 2 YEARS of legal process - so many adjournments & postponements of the trials & inquest; one careless driving trial case of the 3rd driver being dropped; meetings with the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS); countless email and phone correspondences; and the dangerous driving charge which had been reduced to careless driving conviction of the 1st driver of the Rover car, whose 'dangerous driving' caused the consequences that led to your death.

The Coroner's verdict of the Inquest decided that it is Accidential Death. We have to accept now that there was not enough evidence to prove that the other two Drivers were also careless. We also accept the Coroner's verdict today. We however still believe that bad mistakes were made by these drivers.

The Coroner agreed with all the witnesses' evidence that you were seen risking your whole life by walking towards the oncoming car on the 3rd lane, waving frantically at the driver. You thought what you did was right by staying on the 2nd/3rd lane to prevent oncoming cars from hitting others left stranded behind you on the 3rd lane. Even though you saw the 2nd driver's car, Nissan Micra coming, you expected that driver to see you but he didn't see you at all as he looked at the collision scene ahead of him and that's when he heard a loud bang. His wing mirror knocked you over onto the 2nd lane. Immediately after, the 3rd driver of the Granada car, saw something on the road in front of him while he drove on the 2nd lane, having already driven past a slow Tesco lorry on the 1st lane. He didn't know it was you lying there. He made the decision to go over 'something' instead of swerving either to the 1st lane or the 3rd lane, to protect himself. We don't know why he decided to go over you. We were allowed to ask questions to any of the witnesses who came on the stand. I asked the 3rd driver if both lanes were clear enough for him to avoid going over you. He said he could not remember. Unfortunately there were no motorway lights which weren't 'possible' for the two drivers to see you even with headlights on, and you wearing 'dark' clothes. That's why you got run over twice by them. Two years later, this section of the M25 has just been completed with 4 new lanes to each way and new LIGHTS along the central barrier. Two years too late for you.

One of the witnesses who stopped by with his friend to help out - Chris - he did all his great efforts to help everyone. Like you, he went out for a good time with his friends and had a lot of drink that night, yet nothing stopped him to help out. He saw you waving towards the oncoming car, ran towards you and calling out at the same time - shouted at the top of his voice to warn you to get off the road but you couldn't hear him at all. Chris didn't know that you were Deaf. It was too late. He saw you being knocked over by the 2nd car. He still feels very bad that he wasn't able to save you in time.

Diane Davies (Mum)
November 6, 2008

Final Chapter

con'td.....

We still blame the 1st driver for his stupidity - we will never know the truth why he failed to see Lauren's car for 16 seconds - that's approx 500 metres ahead of him - and what he was actually doing before he suddenly realised Lauren's car was right in front of him in the middle lane, thus swerving his car to the left towards the hard shoulder and swerved again to the right and caught up in front of Lauren's car - the cause of this terrible collision. The law states that this is 'dangerous driving' which was the reason that he was brought to trial, charged with dangerous driving, in August 2008. The driver accepted our Expert evidence that he failed to pay attention for 16 seconds but he could not explain why!!

The jury let us all down, which is the reason that the 1st driver was found not guilty of dangerous driving but guilty of careless driving. The police, CPS and the judge were disgusted and ashamed of the jury and so were we all. They made the verdict in just 15 minutes. As if they really bothered to think carefully of everything of what the trial brought up. Everything in the trial was so straightforward and easy for the jury to know what the 1st driver did. The jury were given detailed explanation by our Expert Witness and were reminded by the judge that 'dangerous driving' meant prolonged lack of care and attention to the road, such as 16 seconds - for that reason could be trying to light a cigarette, use of mobile phone, falling asleep, etc - and careless driving meant a momentary distraction from the road such as turning the radio on or heating or turning your head back to check on the children. The only problem with the British judicial system is that the jurors are not allowed to know if the defendant has a history of convictions, and if someone died as a result. How must the jurors have felt when our prosecutor told them straight away what happened to you after they gave their verdict and that the 1st driver has convictions as long as his arm - the jurors left the court in tears!!

We have done our very best for you, Sarah - you are far too important for us not to go this far and made sure we saw this to the very end for you. You are our true Hero, we are so proud of you for your selfless actions - putting others first before yourself - as you have done most of your life!! I may be selfish in saying this, but I so badly wished that you thought of only yourself that night as you would still be here with us now.

We thank you, Sarah, for helping Lauren turn the hazard lights on to keep her car safe on the 3rd lane, and for trying to alert other drivers and possibly helped avert another collision and instead paid for your life to save your beloved friends stranded on the 3rd lane. We believe that what you did was for a reason. Only you know what happened and have the answer to tell us.

Now we all have the rest of our lives to get by without you. There'll be always a massive, gaping hole in our lives without you.

I thank all the family and close friends with all my heart for their support in coming to the trial and inquest with us. We so gratefully thank Chris from Horsham, Sussex, for his heroic efforts too.

All our love forever,

Mummy, Daddy, Victoria, Russell, Adam & Connor xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Dad Jay xxxxxxxx
Julie, Lee & Lauren xxxxxxxxxx

Diane Davies (Mum)
November 5, 2008

Your'll never forgotten

People will never forget you, you lighted up so many peoples lives and are still doing that now...even tho your with the angels living life to the max as u always did.

Ben Miller and Jamie Doolan send thier love to you..and are always thinking about you, talking about you, and we always chat about football, and the good times you had together.

Just look down on all of us and send us a smile...because thats how we always remember you, with ur beautiful smile and a great laugh xxxx

Angharad Nye October 29, 2008

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Add GiftSarah's Gifts

There have been 11 gifts left for Sarah.

	Happy Valentine for my most beautiful daughter in the whole wide world, love you so much, Mummy xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

From Diane

	Happy New Year our darling Sarah, love always forever Mummy xxxxx

From Diane

	Merry Christmas to our darling Angel, millions of love, Mummy, Daddy, Vic, Adam & Connor xxxxxx

From Diane

	Happy birthday darling. Think of you every day, but even more so today! Big hugs and kisses xxxxxxx

From Russell

	Happy 22nd birthday to our beautiful daughter & sister, love you forever, Mummy, Daddy, Victoria, Adam & Connor xxxxxxxx

From Diane

	Love you with all my whole heart, Mummy xxxxxxxxxxx

From Diane

	A million kisses for you from Mummy xxxxxxxx

From Diane

	A football for you to kick about up there darling!! Missing you so much, love Mummy xxxxxxx

From Diane

	with love x

From Admin

	Always love you, Jay xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

From Diane

	Love you with all my heart, Mummy xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

From Diane