Police told wrong family that teenager had been killed

[CardinalBlue]

After a fatal car crash, South Yorkshire Police told parents of the wrong teenager that their child had survived.

Can’t imagine how the families of all concerned are feeling right now. SYP has some serious questions to answer.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cj4l8g5vwggo.a...

[bobtail4x4]

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-15439149/...

there must be more to this, didnt the family identify him?
didnt the other family in hospital realise it wasnt their son???

[MattsCar]

"A mix-up which saw police wrongly tell one family their son had died in a car crash and another that theirs was badly injured left relatives grieving a teenager for three weeks - when he was alive in hospital the whole time.

The staggering blunder meant the family of one boy, 18-year-old Joshua Johnson, spent Christmas believing he was under sedation in hospital - only to be told he in fact passed away in the tragic smash."

Could they have not...you know...visited their lad in hospital over a 3 week period.

Seems odd. If that happened to me, I'd have family members there within minutes and the whole confusion would not have happened.

Edited by MattsCar on Wednesday 7th January 23:06

[abzmike]

We were saying the same thing here… very odd.
Wouldn’t doctors and the coroner be responsible for identifications, along with the police - yet it seems the police are being investigated? Did the families not make positive identifications? Hard to understand what’s happened.

[Mortarboard]

Traumatic injuries can make it very difficult to identify victims.

Used to share a house with a fire officer, they used to respond to nearby motorway RTAs. Worst one he had to deal with ended up with them not being able to find the head.


M.

[irc]

Is the clue here?

"a 19-year-old was arrested on suspicion of perverting the course of justice."

Were the police told porkies by a survivor?

Or did police assume the driver was the owner when he had let a pal drive?

Still seems odd.

[BrettMRC]

Given that one person has been charged with perverting the course of justice, I'd assume that's a factor here?

Also - odd how none of the family at the bedside twigged it wasn't their relative?

[TheRainMaker]

BrettMRC said:

Also - odd how none of the family at the bedside twigged it wasn't their relative?

That is the first thing that came to my mind, unless he didn't have any friends or family.

All seems a bit odd.

[Earthdweller]

Def more to this I think

[Jasandjules]

Do they not check wallets for ID? I don't mean that flippantly it's a genuine ask....

[GSA_fattie]

CardinalBlue said:

After a fatal car crash, South Yorkshire Police told parents of the wrong teenager that their child had survived.

Can t imagine how the families of all concerned are feeling right now. SYP has some serious questions to answer.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cj4l8g5vwggo.a...

nah

as much as i have no time for crown servants - the only people who have anything to answer are the families

no one sits next to a person in hospital for this reported length of time and not know who it is

[Bluevanman]

Jasandjules said:

Do they not check wallets for ID? I don't mean that flippantly it's a genuine ask....

I doubt 18yr olds have wallets

[Earthdweller]

Mortarboard said:

Traumatic injuries can make it very difficult to identify victims.

Used to share a house with a fire officer, they used to respond to nearby motorway RTAs. Worst one he had to deal with ended up with them not being able to find the head.


M.

Been there done that .. except it was two occupants of a convertible .. still sat in their seats .. after head on with truck

Car off road into forest .. heads somewhere in the forest

Found them, with the help of dogs and put them in plastic bags to go to morgue with the bodies

Had another where the top of the head was missing and the brain had gone .. found on pavement nearby

And people wonder about ptsd !

[Slow.Patrol]

I read elsewhere that the lad who survived had traumatic facial injuries and due to critical treatment he was receiving, the family were not allowed to visit.

[Earthdweller]

Jasandjules said:

Do they not check wallets for ID? I don't mean that flippantly it's a genuine ask....

Not just that

NOK or friend to ID victim

Fingerprints/DNA/dental records etc if necessary

It's very unusual not to correctly ID a victim even if severely mangled/burned etc

The Road death investigation teams/family liaison officers are all very experienced specialists who do this every day

[otolith]

TheRainMaker said:

BrettMRC said:

Also - odd how none of the family at the bedside twigged it wasn't their relative?

That is the first thing that came to my mind, unless he didn't have any friends or family.

All seems a bit odd.

From the article in the first post:

BBC said:

Jonathan Stoner, who had been helping to raise funds for Trevor's funeral, said the error was discovered after he regained consciousness and said his name and date of birth.

In a statement, Joshua's family said: "From the moment we were told about the collision in December, ourselves and many loved ones have spent hours in hospital with who we now know to be Trevor.

"We never wanted him to be alone. Only those we shared this time with could understand how this went on for so long."

Unconscious and presumably severely injured.

[Greendubber]

I can't work out what's happened with this, awful for the families involved but definitely more info needed.

[finlo]

How could the people sitting at his bedside for several weeks not realise, unless he was bandaged up like the invisible man!

[eldar]

Earthdweller said:

Been there done that .. except it was two occupants of a convertible .. still sat in their seats .. after head on with truck

Car off road into forest .. heads somewhere in the forest

Found them, with the help of dogs and put them in plastic bags to go to morgue with the bodies

Had another where the top of the head was missing and the brain had gone .. found on pavement nearby

And people wonder about ptsd !

I saw a motorcycle hit a car head on at high speed. Extremely messy, 50 years on I still have nightmares about the 17 year old rider and his parent's grief. Feels horrible. And seeing steam outdoors makes me physically sick.

[otolith]

Initial report:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c4g4lj7n47go

first report said:

Two teenagers have died and a man is in a critical condition after the car they were travelling in hit a tree.

A 17-year-old girl, who was driving, and a 17-year-old boy were pronounced dead at the scene near Rotherham, South Yorkshire Police said.

A second passenger, an 18 year-old man, was seriously injured and remains in hospital.

From the report linked in the first post:

current report said:

An 18-year-old was arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving and a 19-year-old was arrested on suspicion of perverting the course of justice.

Not very clear what has actually happened. The 18 year old they initially thought had survived is the one who died. The 17 year old boy they thought was dead is in hospital. The 17 year old girl who died was driving. There's no mention in the initial report of another vehicle being involved, but they've arrested an 18 year old for causing death by dangerous and a 19 year old for PCOJ. Sounds like there was another car involved driven by an 18 year old and a 19 year old has tried to cover it up?