At least two vehicles were engaged in a fog-related collision on the A630 near Doncaster that police describe as “absolutely horrific.”
According to authorities, five teens lost their lives after their car crashed in South Yorkshire’s fog. The victims, who were either current or former pupils of the same Doncaster school, were 16 and 18 years old. The adolescents, consisting of two ladies and three males, including the younger brother of a Leeds United player, were in a Toyota Corolla when it crashed into a Seat Leon near Conisbrough, on the A630 between Doncaster and Rotherham, at 9:40 p.m. on Saturday. The police characterized the collision as “absolutely horrific.”
One women and two males passed away at the site. After being transported to the hospital, the other two passed away on Sunday morning from their wounds. The Seat’s male driver sustained a broken leg. Police in South Yorkshire stated they thought a Vauxhall Corsa might have been a third car in the collision. Police think the driver of the Corsa, a 21-year-old Doncaster man, was charged with murder by careless driving and later freed on bond. Police suspect that the five youths had previously met the Seat driver in a McDonald’s restaurant, according to reports. The police named the victims, all from the Doncaster area, as Bartosz Bortniczak, 18; Blake Cairns, 16; Arpad Kore, 18; Jordanna Goodwin, 16; and Megan Storey,
“Our thoughts are with all the families and friends affected by this terrible news,” the statement read. We are [doing] everything we can to help those who are impacted, and we always will. We’ve started books of recollection, and starting in the morning, both of our locations will have quiet areas with counselors on hand. “This is the worst news a community can have, and we will pull together to support all those in need,” the school said in a statement after opening on Sunday for staff and students to spend time together.
Rebecca Staples, the headteacher, gave thanks to each of the deceased. She declared, “Blake was a lot of fun. He was an extremely athletic youngster and had a large social circle. He played football for the school and represented it. He was a charming, gregarious youngster with a genuine presence who got along well with the staff.
Jordanna Goodwin never missed a single day of school from primary to the end of Year 11 and had received a special reward from the local authority. She was a joyful bubbly girl who had a fantastic rapport with staff. She was our Prom Queen this year, and looked so beautiful on the evening.
“Arpad Kore was always willing to help and assist at school; he was a totally reliable member of our community, a true gentleman who looked out for everybody. He had a tremendous sense of humour.
“Megan Storey was a really bubbly young woman. She was totally reliable for all her friends and truly loyal. She was a very caring mature young woman who was a joy to be with. She too looked stunning at our prom.
“Bartek Bortniczak had kept close ties with his school friends since leaving. He was a fun loving young man, with a lovely character and a real sense of fun, a loveable lad. He was a member of our football teams. He was a down to earth soul.”
A statement from Leeds United said Blake Cairns was the brother of Alex Cairns, a young goalkeeper at the Championship club.
In January 2011, three teenagers aged 14, 15, and 16 died after the car they were in hit a tree on the same road, a short distance from Saturday’s crash. It was being driven by the 16-year-old boy, who was too young to hold a licence.
A month before three teenagers had died a few miles away at Mexborough when their car hit another vehicle head-on while overtaking.
Asked if the A630, which has a 60mph limit, was particularly dangerous, Insp Pete Serhatlic, from South Yorkshire police, said: “It’s the second multiple fatality within a short space of time, but it’s not really a location where you consistently get road traffic collisions of a serious nature. It’s just that the ones you do get on that stretch of road seem to, unfortunately, involve multiple deaths.”
Serhatlic said the scenes facing police and other emergency workers were appalling: “It was absolutely horrific.”
Police closed the road until 3am, and are appealing for witnesses.
Asked about the fog, Serhatlic said: “Undoubtedly it was foggy last night. I was out going to the scene and sometimes the visibility was down to 30 or 35 metres, so it was patchy fog.
“The fog in places was dense. Whether that had a bearing on the incident – it’s too early to say.”
Floral tributes were left at the scene. One read: “In loving memory of such a kind and funny young lad with a bright future ahead of him.”
Another said: “Jondz. Best friends for don’t know how long but ages! Will miss your OCD and the tantrums but still love you anyway.
“My angel in the sky, never forgotten.”
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