My beautiful daughter - mum's emotional tribute
Published: 11:09, 09 May 2009
Updated: 11:29, 09 May 2009
The mother of a woman killed in a car crash with a police vehicle has paid tribute to her "beautiful" daughter.
Felicity Austin, who leaves behind a fiance and three sons, was described as "as beautiful on the inside as she was on the outside."
She was travelling to her home in Hadlow along the A21 Pembury Road near Tunbridge Wells when her Renault Megane was involved in a collision with an unmarked Skoda Metropolitan Police car. The accident happened at 12.35pm on Tuesday, and Miss Austin died at the scene.
Her mother, who asked not to be named, said: "She was everything I could possibly have wished for as a daughter, I was so immensely proud of her.
"Felicity was a mother herself of three gorgeous boys aged 10, seven, and five that she has so sadly had to leave behind and her fiance, Simon.
"Her family were her life, she lived for the children. Her children and Simon are totally devastated and we will give them all the love and support they need to help them gradually be able to come to terms with their tragic loss."
The two police officers, one man and one woman, had to be cut free by firemen after the accidentbetween the Fairthorne Shell garage and the Longfield Road roundabout. The woman was flown by air ambulance to a London hospital where she is now said to be in a stable condition. Her male colleague, who was driving, has already been released from hospital.
The police car is said to have been travelling with its siren on and headlights flashing and blue grill lights flashing.
The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) is investigating the incident. Commissioner Mike Franklin said: "Miss Austin was due to celebrate her 30th birthday at the end of the month and her death must be incredibly difficult for her family to deal with.
"Our investigation will look into whether anything could have been done to have prevented her death."
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Chris Hunter