SWINDON woman Mariola Martin has been named as the victim of the tragic road accident when an articulated lorry slammed into the back of her car.

Mariola, 53, was born in Poland but relocated to Swindon, where she has lived since she was a teenager.

After splitting from her partner, Mariola had to deal with the horror of losing her eldest child to suicide three years ago, and had been receiving professional support to deal with her grief before her life was cut short last week.

On Sunday Mariola had been travelling in her Mazda MX5 on the A303 in the south of Wiltshire when she broke down at the Mere Bypass on the eastbound carriageway.

Her car had come to a stop on the inside lane and was unable to move when shortly before 1pm it was struck from behind by an articulated lorry, which was travelling east.

Mariola died of her injuries at the scene, along with one of her treasured dogs.

The driver of the lorry, a 51-year-old man from Devon, was arrested at the scene when police arrived on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving. He has now been bailed pending further enquiries.

Mariola is survived by daughter Jewelly. Her family described her as ‘vibrant and energetic’ when paying tribute to her this week.

They said: “Mariola Martin was a vibrant and energetic woman who loved life.

“She was the sort of person that overcame her personal challenges with humour and persistence.

“Born in Poland into a family of nine siblings, she was a spirited and confident child who went on to study catering at college where she developed amazing culinary skills.

“She travelled to Swindon when she was 17 for a study break to spend time with her eldest sister. During this time she met her first husband with whom she had two wonderful children.

“Unfortunately, the marriage didn’t work out, but Mariola, a hard-working person, took on two jobs at Debenhams and Wise’s so that she could raise her two small children, which she did as a single parent.

“She later moved on to Honda and then to Dyson’s where she was happy.

“In 2011 she suffered the loss of her eldest child, Joey, to suicide, which brought with it an immense sense of loss.

“From that time she devoted herself to her two dogs, her gardening and her daughter who introduced her to a selfhelp group for families who had lost loved ones to suicide.

“Mariola was just getting her life back on track, through this group, when she was tragically taken from her family.

“She will be missed by all of her family and friends who loved her deeply for her innocence, charm and exuberance.”

Wiltshire Police want anyone who was travelling on the A303 at the time of the incident on Sunday to contact them if they witnessed the collision or either of the vehicles prior to the crash.

A spokesman said: “The incident took place at approximately 12.54pm on Sunday at the A303 Mere Bypass on the eastbound carriageway.”

Contact Wiltshire Police on 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 where information can be left anonymously.