A GRIEVING father-of-two has described how a family holiday ended in tragedy when his wife was killed in a car crash as they travelled home.

Neville Clay, who was towing their caravan, said the last time he saw his wife alive was when she waved at him while overtaking in a separate car with his 15-year-old daughter, Laura.

Minutes later, the 45-yearold received a frantic call from Laura who said: “We have crashed. We have crashed, Dad. Help us.”

Mr Clay arrived to find his 42-year-old wife, Margaret – who hours earlier had been excitedly shopping for a suit for a new job – had died instantly in a collision with an articulated lorry and trailer parked in a layby.

The black Vauxhall Corsa left the road, for reasons yet to be established, about half a mile from Ron Perry’s Garage on the A19 northbound carriageway, near Hartlepool, at about 3pm on Sunday.

Laura was treated for cuts and bruises at the University Hospital of North Tees, Stockton, while the 57-year-old occupant of the lorry was unhurt.

Speaking at his home in South Hetton, County Durham, Mr Clay said last night: “She was everything to us.

She was a lovely person who was liked by everyone. She had no enemies.”

Mr Clay, an estimator for a landscape company, said he and their 12-year-old daughter, Hannah, had gone to a campsite on the River Ouse, at Acaster Malbis, south of York, on Wednesday night.

“My wife had to stay behind as she was starting her new job on Friday and Laura had to do a revision exercise for exams,” he said.

“Both came down to join us at teatime on Friday.”

Mr Clay said his wife, who had worked as a secretary for Durham County Council, had recently got a job working for a child psychologist in Bishop Auckland.

He said: “She was so excited, having come from her first day at work. We went out to York earlier on Sunday to get her a new suit for her new job.

We had a lovely weekend.”

Mr Clay said when they set off his wife and Laura followed him in a Vauxhall Corsa for the first 40 miles. Hannah travelled with him. He said: “As we got to the A19, Laura, who was with my wife, phoned and asked if they could overtake and go home, because I had to drop the caravan off first.

“As she overtook I waved at them and they waved back.

That was the last I saw of her.”

Mr Clay added: “I was travelling on when I got a call from Laura. She said ‘We have crashed, we have crashed, Dad. Help us’. She wasn’t making any sense. I said ‘I am on my way, I’ll phone for an ambulance’ and hung up.”

Mr Clay said he then got a call from a wagon driver, using his daughter’s phone, saying: “I am the driver of the lorry that your car has hit.”

Mr Clay added: “I don’t think anyone knew what had happened. I saw the wagon driver with my daughter. I don’t know how anyone got out of that car alive. It was in a ditch at the side of the wagon. The car roof was off.”

Mr Clay said there was nothing that could be done for his wife.

He said: “Laura had only cuts and bruises. She was asleep in the car when it happened and was still in the car when she phoned me the first time.”

Mr Clay said there was no explanation why the car had veered into the layby.

Witnesses are asked to call PC John Roberts on 01642- 326326 quoting U100373.