A Swindon man who died in a crash on the A34 in Hampshire has been named locally, as a fundraiser is launched to support his family.
Marc Waterman, who lived in the Covingham area of the town, died in a road traffic collision which also left his one-year-old daughter with life-threatening injuries.
The little girl, named locally as Olivia, remains in hospital with a brain injury – according to those close to the family.
Mr Waterman was driving a Citroën Grand C4 Picasso which had reportedly broken down on the A34 southbound when it was struck by a Mercedes Sprinter van.
The crash happened between Upper Bullington and Worthy Down, near Sutton Scotney Services, at around 3.13pm on Friday 23 October.
Nigel Steggel, who worked alongside Mr Waterman for many years, has launched an online fundraiser to help his grieving family.
Writing on GoFundMe, he said: “My name is Nigel Steggel, I worked with Marc for many years, unfortunately he has lost his life in a car accident, his daughter has a brain injury, and the family are by the daughters side”
The GoFundMe page has raised £5,415 towards a £6,000 target, with 105 donations recorded at the time the figures were provided.
A local resident has also encouraged people to contribute, revealing that Mr Waterman’s dog, Loba, died in the collision.
In a Facebook post, she wrote: “Please consider donating. Marc lived in Covingham (Merlin Way), lots of you will recognise him from walking his lovely dog Loba around Covingham who also sadly lost her life.
“His lovely wife and children are still here but sadly their 1yr old daughter is still in hospital with a brain injury. I didn’t set this page up but please consider helping a lovely local family”
A 33-year-old man from Walsall, who was driving the Mercedes van, was arrested on suspicion of causing death by careless driving and causing serious injury by careless driving.
He was subsequently released on conditional bail until 4 December while Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary continues its investigation.
Detective Sergeant Oliver Cahill-Smith, of the Joint Operations Serious Collision Investigation Unit, previously said: “First and foremost, our thoughts are with the victims of this collision, one who has sadly died and another who is in a critical condition in hospital, and their loved ones at this extremely difficult time.
“We are carrying out a thorough investigation to establish exactly what happened. We know there were a number of motorists travelling on the A34 southbound near Sutton Scotney at the time of the collision.
“We are particularly keen to hear from anyone who saw a Citroën Picasso which had broken down prior to the collision and who witnessed the subsequent collision involving a Mercedes Sprinter van.”
Tributes have since been paid to Mr Waterman on social media, with friends and local residents describing him as a much-loved member of the community.
One person wrote: “Such a tragedy lovely family praying for their little girl Olivia”
Another commented: “So sad to read this. He was a wonderful person. A really lovely family.”
A local resident added: “Marc always had time for people. Such a lovely family. My heart goes out to Sarah at this time I am sure you are in many peoples thoughts .”
Another person said: “Such a beautiful family, our thoughts are with them xxx”
Anyone with information or dashcam footage relating to the collision can contact police on 101, quoting reference 44260520753.
