'No time to mourn' van death woman, family say

Cheryl Decarteret was a valued member of the Melksham community

The family of a woman who died after being hit by a van say there has been "no time" to process the tragedy.

Cheryl Decarteret died in hospital after a vehicle hit the 79-year-old and her best friend Margaret Shaw, who remains in hospital, on 27 September in Melksham, Wiltshire.

A month on from Ms Decarteret's death, her daughter Hayley Charman said they have been helping Ms Shaw's recovery and trying to get her mother's death certificate, adding there has been "no time for it [her death] to sink in".

A 25-year-old man was arrested at the time and has been released under police investigation.

"I always assumed that if you had someone close to you who died, that you'd have the time to mourn," Ms Charman said.

"From flyers going out to appeal for witnesses, from visiting Margaret daily as she still needs support, to fighting to get a reasonable funeral date."

Ms Charman said she still has not received her mother's death certificate, which has hampered her efforts to close bank accounts and halt payments in her mother's name.

"It is a waiting game and we've hit every snag possible," she continued. "Instead of grieving together, we are constantly fighting the next battle to get what would be right for mum.

"If she felt something wasn't right, she would speak out. We are a close knit family which has really helped, we've all pulled together."

The family has also put 50 posters up across Melksham in a bid to encourage witnesses to the crash to come forward.

Ms Decarteret's family say they have faced a delay receiving her death certificate

When several were taken down, Ms Charman said a stranger went around and picked them all back up.

She continued: "The help and support we've had from the Melksham community has been overwhelming.

"They've jumped on board and are helped wherever they can. It shows how great the community is and how valued she [Cheryl] was in it."

Ms Decarteret, originally from Bradford-on-Avon, grew up in Holt before moving to Melksham.

She worked at Avon Rubber with crash victim Ms Shaw, who Ms Charman visits frequently in hospital.

"Margaret is making a great recovery," she said. "She was transferred to Bath for ongoing care and has come on leaps and bounds. She's fully awake, can understand what we're saying and is doing so much better."

Ms Decarteret was originally from Bradford-on-Avon and worked at Avon Rubber

Ms Decarteret's funeral is due to take place on 21 November at St Michael's Church in Melksham, with "everyone welcome" to Melksham Football Club at 13:00 GMT to pay their respects.

The 79-year-old leaves behind a son, two daughters, seven grandchildren and four great grandchildren.

Ms Charman said: "There's not been much time to stop and focus on how we feel. Once the funeral happens, that is when it will hit me what we've lost."

The 25-year-old man from Melksham was arrested was held on suspicion of causing serious injury by dangerous driving and driving under the influence of drugs in relation to the crash.

He was later bailed, then released under investigation.