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Plans for the future of the 11-year-old girl left orphaned after the horrific car crash that killed her four family members have been revealed.
Poppie Roller, 11, is the only surviving member of her immediate family after Shannen Morgan, her partner Shane Roller, and their other daughters Lillie and Rubie, aged nine and four, died in a collision on a rural West Yorkshire road on Sunday afternoon.
Tributes have been paid to the “happy” young girls after the family’s Ford Focus car is understood to have burst into flames following a crash with a motorbike on the A61 between Staincross in Barnsley, and Newmillerdam in Wakefield at around 3.54pm.
Husband and wife Christopher Barton, 56, and Janine Barton, 48, have now been named as the motorcyclist and pillion passenger who also died in the collision. The couple, who had just celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary, was described by their son as “a loving, caring mum and dad who always put me before everything else”.
It comes as a shocked witness told The Independent the incident left her “horrified”. The 51-year-old woman, who wished to remain anonymous, described smelling burning and seeing smoke billowing into the sky before seeing multiple huge fires as her car approached the scene. “It was quiet except for burning, crackling,” she said. “The car was a fireball ... There was debris all across the road.”
A fundraiser set up for Poppie, who was not in the car but “lost her whole world in an instant”, had reached more than £272,000 by Tuesday lunchtime, when organisers issued an update on the 11-year-old.
Family friend Paul Hepple said Poppie has been staying with his family after the tragedy as she is best friends with his stepdaughter. However, he revealed that she will soon be living with her “loving and capable” aunt, who will become her new guardian.
Mr Hepple also disclosed that the donations to the fundraiser will be put towards Poppie’s well-being, including her living expenses, education and any counselling. He added that some funds might be used for the funeral expenses for the 11-year-old’s family.
Expressing their gratitude for the “overwhelming” support from well-wishers, with more than 15,000 people now having donated to the fundraiser, Mr Hepple wrote: “I want to assure you that every penny will go directly to Poppie’s new guardian, her auntie.
“Poppie will be staying and living with her auntie, who is an amazing, loving, and capable guardian. She will be entirely responsible for managing the donations, ensuring that all funds are used for Poppie’s well-being, including her living expenses, education, and any counseling she may need.
“Additionally, some of the funds may be used for the funeral expenses for Poppie’s family if they choose to.
“Thank you all once again for your incredible generosity and support. Your contributions are making a significant difference in Poppie’s life, providing her with the stability and care she needs during this difficult time.”
It comes as staff at a primary school have paid tribute to Poppie’s two sisters, praising them as “a delight to teach”.
Following the tragedy, Athersley North Primary School issued a statement, saying: “It is with the deepest sadness that we address the heartbreaking news about Rubie, Lillie and their parents. So many people in our communities will feel this devastating, tragic loss.
“Rubie was a kind, happy, and caring girl with a lovely personality. She always worked really hard and was well-liked by her friends. She was a fantastic role model for her peers and aspired to be a teacher.
“Lillie was a bright, bubbly and happy little girl who was a popular member of her class. She was creative and very determined. Just like her big sister, she too aspired to be a teacher.
“Both girls were an asset to the school and a delight to teach. They were a much-loved part of the school community, and their loss is a devastating blow to everyone who knew them.
“The girls were a credit to their parents, who were always incredibly supportive and who will also be greatly missed.
“Our heartfelt thoughts are with their sister and her family at this incredibly sad time.”
“Heartbroken” and shocked family members have been taking to social media to pay tribute to their loved ones who they said “all had a heart of gold”.
Mr Roller’s brother Callum wrote on Facebook on Sunday: “I’m absolutely heartbroken. I’m go[ing to] miss all of you! It’s absolutely broken my heart and it’s absolutely broke[n] both side[s] of [the] famil[y]! You all had a heart of gold and [I’m going to] miss you all like crazy! My heart goes out to Shannen’s side of [the] family and mine! We are all in absolute shock.”
Jamie Phillips, who was among those leaving flowers at the scene, told the BBC he was friends with Mr Roller. “He was a normal, working lad... a nice kid, he was always smiling. He was cheerful and loved his family,” Mr Phillips said, adding: “I couldn’t sleep all night knowing what had happened... Barnsley is only small so it is going to affect quite a lot of people.”
Photographs from the scene show the badly damaged carriageway, and a burnt-out, blackened, mangled car on a grass verge. Near the wrecked vehicle, debris can be seen strewn across the road.
Speaking to reporters at the scene on Monday, Superintendent Alan Travis of Wakefield District Police described the incident as “truly horrendous”, involving a “devastating loss of life”. He said: “My heart goes out to the loved ones who have lost loved ones in this incident.”
He thanked the police, fire and ambulance crews who worked at the scene, saying: “This has obviously been an extremely tragic incident.”
Anyone with any information is asked to contact West Yorkshire Police by calling 101, quoting reference 1157 of 21/7.
