A family who believed their son was alive for weeks after a fatal crash identification blunder said they feel like they experienced ‘two deaths.’
Joshua Johnson, 18, and Summer Louise Scott, 17, died when a Toyota Corolla crashed into a tree near Rotherham, South Yorkshire, last December.
A third teen, Trevor Wynn, 17, was seriously injured in the smash and put under sedation for weeks following the December 13 collision off Todwick Road, which saw the car roll for around 164 feet.
Due to the misidentification of Mr Wynn, the family of Mr Johnson sat next to his hospital bed, thinking their son was still alive but seriously hurt.
Meanwhile, Mr Wynn’s family believed the then 17-year-old had died until he woke up from sedation three weeks later on January 4.
Sign up for all of the latest stories
Start your day informed with Metro’s News Updates newsletter or get Breaking News alerts the moment it happens.
Lee Johnson, the dad of Mr Johnson, said the realisation felt like the family had had ‘two deaths’ and that they missed part of the grieving process.
He told an inquest at Doncaster Coroner’s Court yesterday: ‘This information came as a huge shock and I cannot comprehend it.
‘It felt like, as a family, we had two deaths.
‘I felt I had missed out on the initial grieving part of the process.’
The mix-up in the young men’s identification began with personal items found at the scene.
One was a phone case with Joshua Johnson’s driving licence inside.
A second phone lying nearby had medical ID information for Trevor Wynn, and a bank card under the same name.
However, none of the items were ‘physically about the person of either of the males,’ senior coroner Nicola Mundy said, citing the statement of Detective Chief Inspector Andy Knowles.
A police officer then used the information to trace Mr Wynn’s mum, who showed a college ID card along with a description of her son’s build and footwear.
DCI Knowles said: ‘That officer then took this ID card to Rotherham Mortuary where, at that time, the deceased victim of the collision was booked in as an unknown male.
‘Upon considering the comparison between the male’s features against the ID, and also considering the descriptive details of build and clothing, the officer was satisfied that this was the body of Trevor Wynn.
Mr Knowles said a second officer was told that the surviving but sedated teenager was Joshua Johnson by colleagues at the crash site, and was able to obtain a photograph from Mr Johnson’s driving licence.
He said: ‘The officer liaised with medical staff and the photograph was compared against the casualty.
‘Those present were then satisfied that this person was Joshua Johnson.’
The real identity of Mr Johnson was eventually established using dental records.
A separate inquest into the deaths of Mr Johnson and Miss Scott heard that the car was driven by the 17-year-old, who had a provisional licence but had not passed her test.
One of the smartphones belonging to the victims with tracking app Life360 revealed the car was travelling at 95mp for just over half a mile before the crash.
On approach to the bend, the car had slowed down to around 86mph, the inquest heard.
The safe speed for the bend was found to be 68mph during tests, according to forensic crash investigators.
A Snapchat video filmed by someone in a second car following behind was investigated as evidence of racing, but it showed there was some distance between the cars and it was Miss Scott’s decision to drive at the speed she did.
The coroner ruled that Miss Scott died as a result of a road traffic collision and Mr Johnson was unlawfully killed.
The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) is investigating the misidentification error separately, with findings due to be concluded in the coming weeks.
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at [email protected].
For more stories like this, check our news page.
Comment now
Comments
Add Metro as a Preferred Source on Google
Add as preferred source