An 11-year-old girl has been left orphaned by a car crash that killed four members of her family on Sunday in one of two collisions in 24 hours that left 10 people dead.
The crash that killed the family happened close to Wakefield, West Yorkshire, on a rural A road. Among the dead were a couple and their two children. A motorcyclist and pillion passenger, a male and female, were also killed.
The family were named by police as Shane Roller, 33, Shannen Morgan, 30, and their daughters Rubie Morgan-Roller, nine, and Lillie Morgan-Roller, four. Roller and Morgan are believed to be parents to the 11-year-old who was not travelling with her family when the crash happened.
In the other collision, which happened near Cheltenham in Gloucestershire, a black Renault Clio left the road and hit a tree, killing four men in the early hours.
The unrelated incidents marked a tragic loss of life on British roads in a short period.
In the accident near Wakefield, emergency services received reports of the incident involving a Ford Focus car and a motorcycle on the A61 at 3.54pm.
A Facebook post from Roller’s brother Callum read: “Honestly lost for words today we lost 2 of our nieces my sister in law and my amazing brother in a car accident … I’m absolutely heartbroken I’m gonna miss all of you!
“It’s absolutely broken my heart and it’s absolutely broke both side of families! You all had a heart of gold and gonna miss you all like crazy! My heart goes out to Shannens side of family and mine! We are all in absolute shock!”
A GoFundMe page set up to raise funds for the surviving sibling has so far raised more than £33,000. The road where the incident took place has been closed between Shaw Lane and Warren Lane and is likely to remain closed for some time as the investigation continues.
Footage of the aftermath of the crash showed a burned-out car in a grass verge and a large police presence on the A61. It is understood the family’s Ford Focus burst into flames after colliding with the motorbike. Debris, believed to be from the motorbike, could be seen strewn in the middle of the road.
Supt Alan Travis, of Wakefield district police, said: “This is an absolutely tragic incident which has resulted in the loss of six lives. Our thoughts go out to the families of those who have died who we are working with to provide support at this time.
“This is truly a horrendous collision, which we are currently in the early stages of investigating.”
A former neighbour of the family told MailOnline: “They were a perfect family. Everyone is shocked. But, as a truck driver, I know accidents do happen – especially on that stretch of road. I bumped into Shane in a shop a while back … so I could not believe it when I heard.”
The security minister, Dan Jarvis, the MP for Barnsley North, wrote on X: “Devastating news. My heartfelt condolences go to the family and friends of those who have tragically lost their lives.”
Devastating news. My heartfelt condolences go to the family and friends of those who have tragically lost their lives. https://t.co/CaSg0Td9h1
— Dan Jarvis MP (@DanJarvisMBE) July 21, 2024
The separate incident in Gloucestershire that killed the four men happened shortly before 2am on the A436 in Ullenwood, near Cheltenham.
Residents had repeatedly called for safety improvements to be made to the stretch of road, Paul Hodgkinson, a Lib Dem councillor on Gloucestershire county council said, citing concerns about poor visibility and cars travelling at excess speeds.
“It’s terrible, I was just horrified that four people have lost their lives and my heart goes out to their families, it really does,” he said.
He added: “Certainly accidents have been a regular occurrence, with the road being exceptionally busy. One thing that I would say is that residents and I have called for ages for improvements to the road because we feel it is unsafe.”
Gloucestershire county council said in a statement: “It would be wrong to jump to any conclusions during an ongoing investigation. As with any incident of this kind we will conduct a review along with other agencies and take the necessary action where needed.”
Anyone who saw the Yorkshire collision or has dashcam footage who has not already been in touch with the police is asked to contact West Yorkshire police by calling 101 or go online at www.westyorkshire.police.uk/LiveChat quoting reference 1157 of 21/7.
Anyone with information about the Gloucestershire collision, or who has relevant dashcam footage, is asked to contact police online, quoting incident 52 of 21 July.
