A teenage girl has been killed and 20 others injured after a minibus en route to a hen party collided with a lorry on the M62 in England on Friday evening.
The family members of Miss Bethany Jones, who was only 18 when she was killed in the accident, have paid tribute to the teenager, saying that she would never be forgotten. Family and friends of Jones described her as a fun and bubbly girl, and said that she was a wonderful friend and daughter.
‘She was the apple of her grandad’s eye and she will never be forgotten,’ said Jones’s grandmother on Saturday. Outpourings of tribute, love and support have been pouring in to Bethany’s Facebook page since the tragic accident.
Seven other teenage girls who were involved in the accident remain in hospital in a serious condition, and a hospital spokesperson has confirmed that the injured girls sustained severe injuries but are currently stable. Another woman who was injured in the accident remains in the intensive care unit with life-threatening injuries.
The horrific crash, which occurred on the westbound carriage of the M62 at 11.30 on Friday morning, injured a total of 20 people. Firefighters and first responders who arrived on the scene described the accident as one of the worst accidents they had seen in some time.
The hen party group, which included young bride to be Stefanie Firth, were traveling to Liverpool for a day out from South Emsall in Yorkshire when the minibus collided with a lorry at a junction on the M62. Six ambulances were dispatched to the scene of the accident after eye witnesses called in to the emergency center to report the crash. The most seriously injured passengers were airlifted to hospital via helicopter while the remaining passengers were taken to local medical centers by ambulance.
Earlier in the week, an excited Bethany had tweeted about the hen party, saying ‘This weekend can’t come quick enough.’ Eye witness Pritpal Singh, a 28 year old chartered accountant from Leeds, was traveling behind the minibus when the accident occurred and described the shocking accident, saying that the collision occurred so quickly that he was not sure which driver had been at fault.
The minibus driver will be questioned once he has recovered from his injuries, and the driver of the lorry has been arrested in connection with the incident while investigations are ongoing, said an officer for the West Yorkshire Police.