Tribute to mother who died on road

THE devastated husband of a mother-of-three who was killed in an accident on an A12 slip road has paid tribute to her.

Anne Cooper, 41, died at about 4am on Thursday when she was in collision with a white Mercedes van on the southbound carriageway at the Ardleigh interchange near Colchester.

Although an ambulance and rapid response vehicle were there within minutes Mrs Cooper was declared dead at the scene. She had suffered massive multiple injuries.

In a statement issued through Essex Police, her husband, Robert, said his wife had suffered from mental illness.

He said: "As sad a time as it is right now, Anne is finally in a restful place without the torment that her illness brought about."

Mrs Cooper was born in Tripoli and her father was a teacher to British troops who were stationed in Lebanon at the time.

She moved to the UK when she was two years old and spent her early years growing up in Harlow.

The couple had been married for 23 years and Mrs Cooper worked in the local area in youth education and youth clubs.

As a teenager Anne suffered from mental illness which had become more severe over the last few years.

Mrs Cooper was mother to two daughters, aged 21 and 16, and a 15-year-old son.

After Thursday's accident the A12 was closed for more than four hours as a traffic investigation was launched.

A spokesman for the Essex Ambulance Service said: "Unfortunately there was nothing that could be done to help her and she was pronounced dead at the scene.

"The man driving the van was treated for shock at the scene, but did not require to go to hospital.

"This was an extremely difficult job for all the crews and they will be offered critical incident debriefing."

Police are continuing their investigations into the exact circumstances surrounding the crash, which led to hours of traffic chaos in the area.