Dying couple held hands in wreckage
A devoted elderly couple from the Black Country were found holding hands in the wreckage of a car crash which claimed their lives, their devastated family revealed today.
John and Betty Hodgkiss, who had been married for 52 years, died in the smash at Wootton, Six Ashes.
The couple from Tipton, who were named last night, were found with their hands clasped together inside their badly damaged car moments after the tragedy.
Mr Hodgkiss, an 82-year-old retired bus driver and former army corporal, died at the scene of the accident last Friday on the A458 Bridgnorth to Stourbridge road.
His 79-year-old wife was airlifted to Birmingham's Queen Elizabeth Hospital where she died the following evening.
The couple had been travelling from their home in Bilston Road out to their favourite pub near Bridgnorth for a meal when their car, a black Ford Mondeo Zetec, was in collision with a grey Audi A4 TDI estate.
Today their son David, 47, from the Woodside estate, in Dudley, said they were a 'brilliant' couple who were friendly and sociable with everyone they met.
"The most comforting thing for me is that they have gone together," he said. "We were told that they were found holding hands in the car so they must have had time to say goodbye to each other."
Mr Hodgkiss had served in the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers.
The couple also leave daughter-in-law Jackie and granddaughters, Rebecca, Jessica, Katie and Samantha.
David said: "We want to thank all their friends and neighbours and our family for being so supportive and also the emergency services too for what they did and the family police liaison officer.
"I'm still devastated."
