A woman has revealed how she decided to release her husband’s ashes into space because of her love of astronomy.
Claire Mercer from Rotherham was widowed in 2019 after her husband Jason was killed in a crash aged 44 on a smart motorway near Sheffield.
The widow, 44, who has since campaigned for the removal of smart motorways in the UK, arranged for Jason’s ashes to be scattered 100,000 feet above the Earth.
The service is offered by Aura Flights, who have teamed up with Nottingham-based funeral directors AW Lymn.
Talk to the BBC NewsClaire held back tears as she said: “The photo of Jason outside the canister and the massive panoramic view you get. It was literally breathtaking.
Claire Mercer, from Rotherham, decided to release her husband’s ashes into space, because of her love of astronomy.
Jason’s ashes were loaded into a capsule attached to a stratospheric balloon. They can then circle the globe several times before falling in the form of rain droplets and snowflakes.
Claire added: “My husband was killed in 2019, very suddenly in a car collision, then we were left with the ashes and I didn’t know what to do with them.
“Jason really loved astronomy. He had a very large telescope (…) and he really seemed to hit the mark. It made me so happy I did it.
Matthew Lymn Rose from AW Lymn. added: “Stratospheric winds carry the ashes and, for a few months, they will spread across the planet, then they will come back down to earth with the wind, rain or snow.”
Jason, 44, died on the M1 when he was hit by a truck on a stretch of road without a hard shoulder.
Passenger Alexandru Murgeanu, 22, died in the same incident and, before that, at least two other people have been killed on the same road since 2018.
In 2021, Claire called on police to investigate Highways England after a coroner said her husband could have survived the crash on the M1 if there had been an emergency shoulder.
The widow, who has since campaigned for the removal of smart motorways in the UK, arranged for Jason’s ashes to be scattered 100,000 feet above the Earth.
Jason’s ashes were loaded into a capsule attached to a stratospheric balloon and then released and can circle the globe several times before falling back as rain droplets and snowflakes.
Pictured: Claire Mercer, 44, from Rotherham, fights back tears as she talks about the ‘breathtaking’ way her husband’s ashes are scattered
In 2021, Claire (left) called on police to investigate Highways England after a coroner said her husband (right) could have survived the crash on the M1 if there had been a gang of ’emergency stop.
She said she hoped the investigation would serve as a catalyst for an investigation into possible corporate manslaughter charges.
Claire said at the time: “After more than a year and a half of campaigning, I now feel that someone has listened and has finally taken action to combat the use of these trap roads. mortals.
“Since Jason’s death, I have been determined to make changes to ensure that more families do not suffer the heartache of losing a loved one through the completely absurd removal of shoulders on busy highways, without adequate safeguards being provided. in place.”
In April 2023, the government announced that all new smart motorways would be scrapped due to lack of driver confidence and financial pressures.
Claire said she hoped the investigation would be a catalyst for an investigation into possible corporate manslaughter charges (2022 photo).
Jason, 44, (pictured) died on the M1 when he was hit by a lorry on a stretch of road without a hard shoulder.
In January 2022, ministers had already suspended the construction of new smart motorways, which transform the hard shoulder into another active traffic lane and use variable speed limits.
It pledged not to move forward with deployment until it has five years of safety data from existing programs.
Claire previously accused the government of “dithering” after failing to respond to a brief on smart motorways that her lawyers sent to ministers containing “compelling evidence regarding safety concerns”, and drew parallels between the scandal of the Post Office and Horizon and that of national roads and the management of government by the government. smart highways.
“It is telling that the government is the sole shareholder in both the Post Office and National Highways,” she told the Telegraph.