Oxford inquest hears man's body found a week after M40 crash

Sedji Sejdiu of Walterton Road in London, died on April 5 last year between junctions 11 and 12 of the motorway near Bicester. 

His black Vauxhall Astra was spotted suspended in trees on April 12 after traffic slowed on the road due to a separate incident.

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The inquest at Oxford Coroner's Court heard that it was not possible to see the car when travelling along the motorway at a normal speed.

The 40-year-old’s body was found on the ground underneath the car and following a post-mortem his cause of death was given as multiple injuries.

A toxicology examination found cocaine and alcohol in Mr Sejdiu’s system, but the inquest heard that it was not possible to determine whether these substances had contributed to the crash.

Mr Sejdiu was originally from Kosovo and worked as a plasterer.

Oxford Coroner's Court

The inquest was told that he became a father in July 2014 and was devoted to his daughter.

But he had struggled with depression after he split from his partner and the custody of his child was taken away from him.

Forensic collision investigator, Siobhan O’Connell, gave a witness statement at the inquest.

She said: “He lost control of the vehicle and entered into the central reservation sideways impacting several trees.

“He was the sole occupant of the vehicle and was ejected from it.

“There is no evidence that this was an intentional act or any third-party involvement.

“The most likely cause of the crash was a loss of control likely due to fatigue or drugs.”

She added that the time of day and the nature of the collision was consistent with someone falling asleep at the wheel.

The inquest heard that it was likely that Mr Sejdiu had already lost control of the car when it entered the central reservation.

The crash took place on the M40

There was no evidence that he was travelling at excess speed, nor were any defects with the car that may have contributed to the crash.

But the evidence given at the inquest suggested that the plasterer was not wearing a seatbelt. 

Assistant coroner, Nicholas Graham ruled the death as a road traffic collision.

He told Oxford Coroner’s Court: “The taking of cocaine may have had an effect but that is not obvious from the evidence.

“Given the time of day it may be that he fell asleep at the wheel.

“It is hard to come to a definite conclusion given that it was an unwitnessed collision.”

The inquest heard that although Mr Sedjiu’s body was undiscovered for a week, the nature of his injuries meant that he wouldn’t have survived even if emergency services attended straightaway.