Benfleet: Tributes to 'cheeky and kind' woman after collision

The family of a woman who died following a collision in Benfleet have paid tribute to her, saying they miss her “cheeky humour” and above all, her “kindness”.

We were called by colleagues in the ambulance service to London Road, Benfleet, at around 11.30pm on Saturday 7 December following reports of a serious collision.

Enquiries at the scene established a woman had recently disembarked from a coach at a bus stop around 50 metres east of the Kents Hill Road junction, and before Thundersley Park Road junction.

After the coach left the area, the woman proceeded to cross the road when the collision occurred.

Sadly, despite the best efforts of paramedics, the woman died at the scene.

We are now able to name the woman as 85-year-old Yvonne Jones, from Australia.

Paying tribute to her, a family statement said:

“We are deeply saddened to announce the passing of Yvonne Jones, our Mum, Nan, Great Nan, Sister and Aunty.
“She was born in London and was unexpectedly taken from us on 7th December 2024 in Essex whilst on holiday, visiting her family.
“Australia has been Mum's home for over 50 years with her children, Lee, Julie, Debbie and Tracy and their extended families and will be her final resting place.
“We will miss her cheeky humour and above all her kindness to everyone she met.
“We love you, Rest in Peace, Mum.”

Ongoing investigation

The car, described as a Jaguar saloon-style car, failed to stop, and left the scene.

We’re asking anyone who was in the area at the time to check their dash cam footage to see if they have captured anything that would help our investigation, either before or after the collision.

We would also like to know if anyone saw a Jaguar saloon-style car leave the scene or stop in the nearby area.

A man initially arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving has been released under investigation whilst we carry out our enquiries.

Please quote incident 1421 of 7 December when providing any information to make sure it gets to the right person as quickly as possible.

Anyone with information should contact us as soon as possible.

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Help us reduce road collisions and casualties in Essex and make our roads even safer. Report instances of poor and dangerous driving through Safer Essex Roads Partnership's Extra Eyes initiative.

More than ever, irresponsible, dangerous and illegal road behaviour is being recorded by road users. Through Extra Eyes this footage can be sent to, and reviewed by, an investigator within Road Policing at Essex Police.

Find out how by visiting Safer Essex Roads Partnership website.