Braintree: Tributes to 'unique and fun' father after collision

UPDATE: 2.30pm Thursday 13 March

Heartfelt tributes have been paid to a “unique and fun” father who died after a fatal collision in Braintree.

Brian Thomas, 80, was involved in a single-vehicle collision at the Marks Farm roundabout between 3am and 3.45am on Thursday 29 February.

Sadly, he died at the scene.

Our enquiries into the collision are continuing and we are appealing for any witnesses, or anyone with footage or information, to come forward.

'Caring, thoughtful and persevering'

Brian’s daughter said:

“Brian was a born-again Christian, father to one son and one daughter.
“He was known for his unique, fun and bantering sense of humour, as well as for being caring, thoughtful and persevering.
“His intelligence made him a good and respected teacher, of Maths in particular, and he was good at maintaining silence in the classroom.
“Brian was successful at crossword competitions, loved classical music and was also a keen golfer and chess player.
“He once ran a 100-mile race, as well as numerous marathons in South Africa, and won a silver medal in the well-known Comrades marathon.
“This regimen led to him attending the gym almost six days a week after he retired from running.
“He loved to eat out at Toby Carvery and his children referred to him as ‘Papa Bear’.
“We thank God we were able to celebrate his 80th birthday recently.”

Detectives in our Serious Collision Investigation Unit continue to appeal for the public’s help as part of this investigation.

If you have any CCTV or dashcam footage in the area between midnight and 3:45am, please contact us, quoting reference number 93 of 29 February.

You can let us know by submitting a report on our website or by using our online Live Chat service available Monday to Friday (excluding public holidays) between 10am-9pm.

Visit our website to find out more about our online reporting services.

If you would like to make an anonymous report you can contact independent charity @Crimestoppers, by visiting their website or by calling 0800 555 111.

Thursday 29 February

We are appealing for witnesses and dashcam footage following a fatal collision in Braintree this morning (29 February).

Officers were called to the Marks Farm roundabout at around 3:45am following reports of a single vehicle collision.

We can now confirm that sadly, an 80-year-old man died at the scene.

His family are aware and will continue to receive support from our officers.

The A120 and the A131 have now fully reopened. We’d like to thank motorists for their patience.

Detectives in our Serious Collision Investigation Unit are appealing for the public’s help as part of this investigation. If you have any CCTV or dashcam footage in the area between midnight and 3:45am, please contact us, quoting reference number 93 of 29 February.

You can let us know by submitting a report on our website or by using our online Live Chat service available Monday to Friday (excluding public holidays) between 10am-9pm.

Visit our website to find out more about our online reporting services.

If you would like to make an anonymous report you can contact independent charity @Crimestoppers, by visiting their website or by calling 0800 555 111.

At Essex Police we put victims at the heart of everything we do. The Victims’ Code explains the rights that everyone can expect to receive as a victim of crime, and helps us define what we must do for all victims from their initial contact with our force until the conclusion of their case.

Find out more about the code and to understand the rights of a victim of crime, on our Support for victims and witnesses of crime page.

To report a crime, please use our digital 101 service. In an emergency call 999.