British father and his two sons, aged 4 and 10, die in horrific car accident in France after he fell asleep at the wheel

A British father is thought to have fallen asleep at the wheel before a horrific car accident

in which he died alongside his two young sons in France today.

His wife and another child were severely injured in the crash, which took place on A39 motorway at Savigny-en-Revermont, in the east of the country, south of Dijon.

Witnesses saw the driver lose control of the car shortly after 7am. It left the road, smashed through barriers, crossed an embankment, and then fell on to a slip road.

Pictures later showed the burnt out wreckage of the vehicle, which was surrounded by debris, and almost unrecognisable as a family car.

Local police said ‘two out of three children onboard’ – aged four and 10 – are thought to have ‘died instantly, alongside their father’, who was aged 31.

An investigating officer at the scene of the crash said the inquiry was currently focusing on the driver losing control of the vehicle.

‘We can perhaps imagine he fell asleep, or was distracted by something,’ said the senior police commander

Other rescue workers said the man had been trapped inside the wreckage when they arrived, but died within minutes of a heart attack. 

The children’s mother survived, alongside a three-year-old child, but both had been rushed to an intensive car unit.

Both were airlifted to the Edouard Herriot hospital in Lyon, where a spokesman said they were ‘in a critical condition’.

A video by French news channel France 3 shows the extent of the horrific amount of damage done to the vehicle. 

A judicial enquiry into the tragedy has been opened, and the early theory is that the diver fell asleep at the wheel.

No other vehicles were involved, and weather and road conditions were good, according to investigating sources.

Two emergency helicopters were scrambled to the scene of the crash, which saw the A39 shut in both directions.

The family, who have not been identified, lived in Britain and were thought to be on holiday in France.

A psychological unit was set up around the scene of the crash, to treat those who had witnessed the horror. 

The Foreign Office confirmed it was involved in the incident but would not be releasing information until the next of kin had been informed. 

Source