Family’s ‘unimaginable’ ordeal after crash ID error

The family of a teenager killed in a car crash have described their “unimaginable” distress after they were mistakenly told their son had survived.

South Yorkshire Police believed 17-year-old Trevor “TJ” Wynn was killed along with Summer Louise Scott, 17, in the collision near Rotherham on December 13, while fellow passenger Joshua Johnson, 18, was seriously injured.

But police said on Sunday that “information had come to light” confirming that it was in fact Joshua who died along with Summer, while Trevor was seriously injured.

Jonathan Stoner, who helped raise money for Trevor’s funeral, said the mistake was discovered after he regained consciousness and told his name and date of birth.

Joshua’s family said in a statement: “From the moment we were told of the collision in December, we and many of our loved ones spent hours in hospital with the man we now know to be Trevor.

“We never wanted him to be alone. Only those we shared this time with could understand how it took so long.”

The collision occurred in the early hours of the morning on Todwick Road, between Dinnington and Todwick, when a silver Toyota Corolla left the road.

Stoner, who organized a charity boxing event to help pay for Trevor’s funeral in Worksop, Nottinghamshire, said Trevor’s family called him after the event.

“They called me and said ‘sit down’, so I sat down.

“They said, ‘TJ’s not dead,’ and I didn’t know what to say.”

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

Both will be released on bail pending further investigation, police said on Wednesday.

Stoner said: “How can you accept this?

“You had to tell your whole family, your grandchildren, that TJ was dead.

“Now how are you going to get close to those kids’ faces and tell them he’s alive?”

He continued: “Are you happily telling them? Because he’s still in a bad place, he’s not fully saved yet.”

Stoner, the director of Ignite Strength and Fitness, promised to hold another fundraiser for Joshua’s family.

Joshua’s parents described him as a “lovable, gentle giant” and “so sincere in his care for others.”

They said they will cherish the memories they made traveling and racing cars, an activity they said their son was passionate about.

“We have created such a great circle of friends through stock car racing and we are so grateful for the support they and others have shown us over the past few weeks and days,” their parents said.

“Neither we nor Josh’s brother can imagine life without him, and we ask that our privacy be respected as we try to adapt to this new world and begin our journey with nothing but grief.”

In a statement released on Tuesday, South Yorkshire Police said “concerns” had been raised about the identities of those killed in the crash.

A spokesman said “information came to light” on Sunday, which led to “further formal identification processes, including forensics, being initiated” and resulted in the detection of the error.

Deputy Chief Constable Colin McFarlane said he had offered to meet with both sets of parents to discuss the matter.

He said: “This has obviously been a huge shock to everyone and we are aware of the additional trauma this may cause.”

After identifying the error, the team referred itself to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC).

The IOPC said it was assessing the referral to determine whether an investigation was necessary.