Members of a parish have paid tribute to a church-going Rochdale family who died in a car crash while on holiday in Norfolk.
Retired council planner Jeffrey Hain, 66, his wife Marion, 69, and their only son Christopher, 36, were killed when their family’s Kia Ceed smashed into a lorry as it went round a bend.
A group of students travelling in a minibus behind the car tried to pull the family out of the wreckage, but the family all died at the scene.
The tragedy occurred on Wednesday while the Hains – who all lived together in a dorma bungalow near Rochdale, Greater Manchester – were five days into one of their regular UK holidays.
Today police were trying to track down relatives of the Hains who were described as ‘inseparable’ by parishioners at St Thomas Church in the Pennine hillside village of Newhey.
Jeffrey, his wife Marion and bachelor Christopher, who never left home, were said to be devoted members of the congregation at St Thomas.’
LANDSCAPE PAINTER: Jeffrey Hain died while on holiday in Norfolk ( © Cavendish Press)
The couple married there in 1976 and Christopher was baptised at the church several years later.
All sat on parochial church committees and were involved in church groups.
Jeffrey, who used to work as planning enforcer for Rochdale council, regularly gave readings during services and was due to give a reading at Easter.
He also taught landscape painting.
His wife was an assistant lay reader whilst Christopher who worked since leaving school as a store assistant at a local Marks and Spencers was a church crucifer and carried the cross at church parades and events.
All raised money for the Milnrow and Newhey Macmillan cancer support group for which Jeff was treasurer.
Marion was often was seen shaking a charity box in the village and won an award for 25 years service to the group.
The vicar of St Thomas’ Rev Sue Ward said: ”All three of them were so committed to the church. They have given so many years of service. Everyone is completely in shock at the moment.
”The three of them were a very close knit unit and you would always see them together. They got a great deal of strength from each other.
“They will be incredibly missed.”
TRAGIC: Flowers left following the tragic accident ( © Cavendish Press)
Garth Fell, 71, treasurer at St Thomas’s Church, 71, said the family were extremely tight knit.
He said: “They did everything together as a trio. Christopher was very protective of his mother and you would never see one without the other.
”He lived for his parents and the church. If he had lived and they hadn’t he would have been lost with out them. They are in place we believe in together at least.
”We tremendously shocked. They turned up for everything, you could always rely on them for that.”
The Bishop of Middleton, The Rt Revd Mark Davies, expressed his shock at the tradgedy, and praised the whole family for their devotion to the church.
He said: ”Jeffrey was a lay Reader at St Thomas’ Church in Newhey, where he exercised a long and faithful ministry. Marian and Chris were also committed to the church family at St Thomas’, where they served as lay assistant and crucifer, respectively.
”The family were a much-loved part of the church and will be missed enormously. Special prayers will be said at the Eucharist service on Sunday at which the family would normally have been present.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the whole community.”
Close friend from the church, Frank Jackson, 71, said the family’s deaths had come as a massive shock. He said: “It is so tragic to lose all three members of a family like this.
”Most people in the community know them because they go to the local pub and to church. We are so shocked. One minute they were here and the next they are gone.
”It is hard to get your head around. Jeff was a very close friend of mine. We used to go to everything together, all the church meetings. They were very devoted to each other and inseparable.”
The family were also members of the Keighley and North Valley Railway and often went in trips Blackpool as part of the Blackpool Tram Society.
It is thought Jeffrey was driving the car with his wife sat in the front passenger seat and Christopher in the back at the time of the crash.
The car was driving along the A47 near a pub in the village of East Winch at around 11.15am on Wednesday.
Eyewitnesses said the Kia appeared to fail to turn at a bend and ‘bounced’ of the lorry as it headed towards them.
A minibus carrying 12 teenagers and three teachers from East Norfolk Sixth Form College was behind the car.
The students, aged 17 to 19 and studying a BTEC in public services, had been en-route to a course in the Peak District.
Their minibus braked hard when the car collided with the lorry, resulting in another minibus carrying their luggage shunting them from behind.
The students then leapt from their vehicle to help the family.
Christopher was in the back of the car and was struggling to get out as smoke billowed from the engine.
The students used sleeping and mattresses they had packed for the course to put Christopher into the recovery position.
They gave him first aid before the emergency services arrived, but his condition quickly deteriorated and he died at the scene.
The students also tried to reassure Christopher’s parents as they lay trapped in the wreckage, but were unable to save them.
Teacher Neil White who was driving the minibus said: ”The crash happened right in front of us. Suddenly, we saw the car in front of us swerve out and hit the oncoming lorry.
”We all jumped out of our mini bus and immediately began first aid. I’m so proud of the students – they didn’t fold, they just helped.
“The students weren’t asked to do anything, they just did it and it was commendable.
Mr White said the group had been brought closer by the tragic experience.”We’re a lot closer now, just because of what happened in that 20 minutes. It was very emotional. It’s a time when you learn a lot about yourself,” he said.
“I’ve spoken to one of the young girls who helped and she said she definitely wants to be a paramedic after what happened.”
The students returned to the college in Gorleston, near Great Yarmouth, where parents and counsellors were waiting
Norfolk Police said: ”Inquiries have so far failed to locate any next of kin. Any relatives or anyone with information to help officers trace them should contact us.”
A 15-mile stretch of the A47 was closed for about eight hours.
Insp Bruce Gent, from Norfolk Police, said: “It was clearly a very distressing and traumatic scene but they responded courageously to do what they could for those people who were dying, before emergency services arrived.
“I understand one student even got inside the car to try to offer reassurance and first aid.”
The three deaths bring the toll on the A47 in Norfolk to 64 since 2005. The triple tragedy also led to fresh calls for the road to be a dual carriageway.
The lorry driver suffered minor injuries.
Story and images via Cavendish Press.
