M40 crash: Man found dead after car spotted hanging in trees

A man was found dead when his car was spotted hanging in trees in a motorway central reservation a week after he crashed, an inquest has heard.

Sedji Sejdiu, 40, from London, crashed on the M40 near Banbury, Oxfordshire, at about 04:20 BST on 5 April 2022.

His body was found in the undergrowth when a policeman’s wife spotted the car on 12 April, the inquest heard.

Coroner Nicholas Graham concluded the death was due to a road accident after Mr Sejdiu lost control.

He said the victim may have fallen asleep at the wheel and his use of cocaine may also have been a factor.

Det Ch Insp Aiden Donohoe said he was driving in slow-moving traffic on 12 April when his wife spotted the suspended Vauxhall Astra.

He told the inquest: “It was badly damaged and almost completely concealed by branches and foliage. At normal motorway speed, there is no way I would have seen this vehicle.”

The Astra had been reported by a car hire firm as stolen when Mr Sejdiu failed to return it on 4 April, the inquest heard.

The plasterer, originally from Kosovo, was found dead from multiple injuries on the ground.

There was no evidence of a collision with another vehicle, a medical episode or problems with the car, the inquest heard.

Mr Graham concluded: “If the discovery had been earlier, it may not have made any difference to the outcome.”

In a statement read out at the hearing, Mr Sejdiu’s family said he was happy and sensitive but had struggled mentally with losing access to his daughter.

“As a family we are heartbroken at the loss of Sedji and we will all miss him very much,” they said.