A father who only found out his son had died three weeks after he was in a car crash due to a police identification error “couldn’t comprehend it” and feels his family has been through two deaths, an inquest has heard.
Joshua Johnson, 18, and Summer Louise Scott, 17, died when a Toyota Corolla left Todwick Road, at Todwick, near Rotherham, and hit a tree in the early hours of December 13 last year, inquests in Doncaster heard on Monday.
A previous hearing heard how police originally misidentified front seat passenger Trevor Wynn, then 17, as the male who had died in the crash, with Mr Wynn’s family believing he was dead until he came out of sedation three weeks later, on January 4.
At the same time, Mr Johnson’s family sat at the bedside of seriously injured Mr Wynn, not realising their son was dead.
Father's statement read to court
A statement from Mr Johnson’s father, Lee Johnson, was read at Doncaster Coroner’s Court on Monday, where a coroner ruled his son was unlawfully killed.
Mr Johnson explained how he and his wife spent weeks at the Royal Hallamshire Hospital, in Sheffield, believing they were sitting with their serious injured son, only to be told there had been a mistake.
He said: “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.”
How the mix-up began
Senior coroner Nicola Mundy read the statement of Detective Chief Inspector Andy Knowles, of South Yorkshire Police, who told the court in January how the mix-up began when a number of items of personal property were found at the scene, “though were not physically about the person of either of the males”.
One of these items was a phone in a case, which also contained Joshua Johnson’s driving licence.
A second phone nearby contained medical ID information in the name of Trevor Wynn, and a bank card in the same name was also attached.
Mr Knowles told the court earlier this year how an officer used this information to trace Trevor Wynn’s mother, who provided a college ID card, as well as a description of his build and footwear.
The senior officer 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, with the surviving but sedated teenager, was told this person 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.”
Mr Knowles explained how he set out establishing the true identity of the deceased male with “no further reliance in this case on visual recognition as a form of ID” and this was done using dental records.
Crash details and investigation
On Monday, separate inquests were held into the deaths of Mr Johnson and Miss Scott.
Senior Rotherham Coroner Nicola Mundy heard how Miss Scott was driving the Toyota and lost control as she approached a slight bend.
The car went across a verge and hit a low wall which caused it to roll in the air before it struck a mature tree almost 50m from the road.
The inquests heard how police investigators used the tracking app Life360, which was on one of the phones in the car, to determine that the car was travelling at 95mph for about a kilometre before the crash happened, and had slowed to 86mph about 130m before the bend.
Forensic collision investigator Peter Gallagher said it was the first time his team had used this technique.
Mr Gallagher said tests showed the maximum speed at which the bend could be safety negotiated was 68mph.
The inquest heard how Miss Scott had a provisional driving licence but had not passed her test.
Pc Joe Binley said two men were arrested who were in a car which was following the Toyota.
He said officers investigated whether the cars had been racing but evidence, including a Snapchat video of the crash filmed by someone in the second car, showed there was a distance between the vehicles and it was Miss Scott’s decision to drive in the way she did.
Miss Scott had told friends there was an issue with the brakes on her car but the inquest heard there were no defects found on the vehicle which would have contributed to the crash.
Family tributes and watchdog investigation
The coroner heard that Miss Scott’s family described her as “loving, caring and very funny” but also “fierce and sassy”.
They said she had a long-standing love of cars.
Mr Johnson’s family described him a “gentle giant” with a “massive heart” who had a “bright future ahead that was tragically cut short”.
The coroner concluded that Miss Scott died as a result of a road traffic collision and Mr Johnson was unlawfully killed.
Earlier this year, the police watchdog, which is investigating the misidentification error, said it was “clear something has gone very wrong”, leading to “awful consequences” for the two families.
A spokesman for the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said on Monday that the investigation was “at an advanced stage” and they hoped it would conclude “in the coming weeks”.
South Yorkshire Assistant Chief Constable Colin McFarlane said: “We recognise the shock and significant distress caused by the misidentification following the collision on Todwick Road, and the unimaginable consequences this had for the families involved.
“Only those involved can truly understand.”
Mr McFarlane said the force took immediate steps to review processes and will look at the findings of the IOPC, when it reports.
He said work is ongoing to ensure all officers are confident following new guidance issued by the College of Policing in August.
