A relative of one of the five men killed in the A66 wrong-way crash has questioned the police pursuit that preceded the collision, suggesting that if it had been called off earlier lives might have been saved.
Seven people died in the incident near Middlesbrough in the early hours of Saturday (August 22) when a Volkswagen Passat collided with a marked police vehicle after travelling the wrong way along a dual carriageway.
The occupants of the Passat, Cole Robert Worthy, 17, Theo Rae, 17, Makai Saddington, 18, and 23-year-olds Michael Robert Cahill and Jacob Matusiak, were pronounced dead at the scene, reports the Daily Star.
Family seeks full picture
Two police officers, Pc Matthew Blades, 37, and Pc Tom Clough, 38, also died when their armed response vehicle was struck by the Volkswagen. The collision is now at the centre of growing questions over the circumstances leading up to the crash.
The cousin of Jacob Matusiak has now told Sky News that the family "want answers" about the incident and have requested police provide the "full picture".
They said: "We are just devastated for everyone involved. If he was at fault, he was at fault, but they need to give us the full picture. He was no saint and has been involved in stuff before - we know that - but we cannot believe this has happened.
"We all want answers - we were told the chase should have been called off earlier. If it had been called off earlier lives might have been saved."
Tributes and balloons
Tributes for the five young men have also been posted on social media, with numerous friends expressing they "can't believe it" and were "heartbroken" and "lost for words". Balloon releases have been organised in their honour, with one taking place last night and further tributes planned for Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday at various locations including South Bank.
One tribute, dedicated to all five, said: "We all knew use and knew use had hearts of gold and most loyalist lads."
A card accompanied by flowers, placed near the A66 close to where the collision occurred, said: "To my Coley, I love you so much. I'm so grateful for the time we got to spend together.
"I just cannot believe I will never see you again. I hope wherever you are it is everything you have ever dreamed of. I will never ever forget you. You would of done anything for anyone."
Pursuit timeline
The Passat in which they were travelling was identified and an armed response unit gave chase for just under seven minutes before the vehicle entered the A66 in South Bank travelling in the wrong direction.
Officers abandoned the pursuit and maintained their course on the correct carriageway. The Passat collided with the vehicle occupied by Pc Blades and Pc Clough approximately 10 seconds after the chase was terminated.
Authorities confirmed there was no indication that recording of the incidents on Friday night and Saturday morning was "for the purposes of TikTok".
