South Yorkshire police have admitted a serious error in identifying two teenage victims of a car crash, wrongly telling one family their son had died when he was in fact alive. The force has referred itself to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) over the mistake.
The collision occurred on Todwick Road in Rotherham on 13 December. Initially, police believed that 17-year-old Trevor Wynn had died alongside a 17-year-old girl, and informed his family. Meanwhile, 18-year-old Joshua Johnson was thought to be injured and sedated in hospital.
However, on Sunday, concerns prompted further testing, which confirmed that Wynn was the one in hospital and Johnson had died. Before the error was discovered, tributes had been posted online describing Wynn as “the most caring lad with a soft soul”, and a fundraising page had raised hundreds of pounds.
Assistant Chief Constable Colin McFarlane said: “This has obviously come as a huge shock to everyone and we recognise the additional trauma this may cause. We are supporting Trevor and all the families through this.” He added that the force is “absolutely committed to understanding how this happened so it cannot happen again”.
An 18-year-old has been arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving, and a 19-year-old on suspicion of perverting the course of justice. Both have been bailed pending further inquiries.
