Pictured: Wife who died after car plunged 300ft off cliff
John and Lynn King died alongside their two Dachshund dogs after driving off a cliff at Alum Bay, close to the Needles on the Isle of Wight, on Friday.
Mr King, 66, and 67-year-old Mrs King were found after their Ford Mondeo plunged into the water on the western side of the island. Photographs showed the wreckage of the vehicle in the sea at the foot of the cliff.
Mr King had been a network driver for Southern Vectis, the island's bus operator, for two and a half years before his departure from the firm earlier this year.
Paying tribute, Richard Tyldsley, its general manager, said: 'We are saddened to learn of this tragic event, and our thoughts are with his family and friends at this time.'
Lee Bridle, a fellow bus driver who worked with Mr King in Hampshire, said: 'Such sad news announced today that former work colleague John and his wife Lynn King tragically passed away. May you now both be at rest together, with deepest condolences to your family, friends and work colleagues. R.I.P.'
George Gibson, another bus driver, added: 'He was a true friend to me during my low times. I'll miss them both.'
Police, fire crews, ambulances and coastguard teams were all deployed to the crash site at around 7.20pm.
Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary said the vehicle had been driving on the road that leads to The Needles, one of Britain's best-known coastal landmarks.
As part of the police investigation into the incident, the force said an address in Cowes had been searched by officers.
A Hampshire Constabulary spokesman said: 'Formal identification procedures are ongoing, but next of kin have been notified. A post-mortem examination will take place on Tuesday June 10.
'As part of the ongoing investigation into the incident, which has been referred to the coroner, officers have been carrying out inquiries at an address on Arctic Road, Cowes, to help them to establish what happened.'
A one-day yacht race around the Isle of Wight, named The Round the Island Race, still went ahead on Monday, with the boats passing Alum Bay.
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Horhn also questioned why the city paid out $30 million in legal fees, noting that the law firms involved never argued the case in court. Federal funding to MS private schools? MS can opt-in to new private school voucher program. What do experts say on the topic? Law firm challenges subpoena as city claims no records on legal fees One of those firms, Lightfoot, Franklin & White of Birmingham, Alabama, has challenged the subpoena. In a motion filed July 28, the firm argued it wasn't properly served, asks legal materials that violates attorney-client privilege and makes unreasonable demands given the firm's location. On July 12, the Clarion Ledger filed another public records request asking the City of Jackson to provide documentation showing how much was paid to each law firm or attorney involved in the 2020 Siemens settlement. All collectively received roughly $30 million — about one-third of the settlement — but how that money was divided among them remains unclear. In an Aug. 1 response letter, the city said it had no documents responsive to the request. 'This could be due [to the fact that] the prospective law firms deducted their fees prior to sending the City of Jackson its portion of the Siemens settlement,' the letter stated. Federal judge wants answers before approving water rate hikes Wingate is the federal judge currently overseeing Jackson's water system rehabilitation, which remains under federal control following the city's water crisis in 2022. He appointed engineer Ted Henifin as interim third-party manager in late 2022, a role that led to the creation of JXN Water, the independent entity now managing the system. In July, Wingate issued 18 subpoenas to city officials, JXN Water, Siemens, former Jackson public works directors and several law firms involved in the case. The subpoenas demand a full accounting of how the Siemens funds were allocated, including bank statements, disbursement logs, wire transfer records and other documents. In court, Wingate has expressed frustration with the city's lack of documentation. So far, no official has been able to provide a complete financial paper trail. Wingate has since paused a proposed rate increase for JXN Water customers, saying it would be unfair to raise residents' bills until the court knows whether all available resources — including Siemens settlement dollars — were exhausted. A $90 million contract that unraveled The original contract with Siemens dates back to 2013, when Jackson hired the multinational firm to install digital meters, modernize its billing platform and improve collections. The deal was worth $90 million and touted as a major step forward for the city's aging infrastructure. But the project quickly unraveled. Meters were installed improperly, some residents didn't get bills at all, and the city's revenue plummeted. Jackson sued Siemens and several subcontractors in 2019, accusing them of delivering a system that never worked. Siemens denied wrongdoing but agreed to the $90 million settlement in 2020. At the time, city leaders said the funds would help repair the damage and stabilize Jackson's water system. Charlie Drape is the Jackson beat reporter. You can contact him at cdrape@ This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Records reveal how Jackson, MS, spent Siemens settlement money Solve the daily Crossword
