M1 horror crash as ‘beautiful soul’ dies on way to gig with mates
A well-loved and "amazingly talented" 17 year old girl died after the car she was travelling in with friends to attend a concert by pop group The Vamps suddenly broke down on the busy M1 motorway[1]. Teenager Elise Thomas was seated in the front passenger seat when a front tyre frayed and flew off, just moments before another vehicle ploughed into the back of the Ford Fiesta carrying her and two female friends. Elise, from the Driffield area of East Yorkshire[2], sustained life-threatening injuries after the car was sent spinning sideways by the sheer force of the collision.
One of her friends, a fellow passenger, was left seriously hurt. Full details of the devastating crash emerged when the driver of the vehicle that struck the Fiesta appeared before Hull Crown Court, charged with causing Elise's death by careless driving and causing serious injury to the other passenger by careless driving on 12 August 2023. Prosecuting barrister Jeremy Barton told the court that, at around 8.15am, the driver set off from her Dewsbury[3] home with her friends, heading to Doncaster[4] to see The Vamps - "a band they all liked and followed".
The group were travelling in a maroon or red Ford Fiesta. Elise occupied the front passenger seat while the other passenger was positioned directly behind her in the rear nearside seat. The group joined the M1 at Junction 40, where four running lanes were in operation at that point.
The vehicle was overtaking a lorry and had drawn roughly halfway alongside it when the Fiesta "began to make a rumbling sound" and the front offside tyre became detached from the rim or wheel. "Pieces of the tyre started to come apart," said Mr Barton, reports Hull Live[5].
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We also treat members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. Read our privacy notice here[7]. "The remainder of the tyre began to bounce in front of the Fiesta." The driver brought the car to a halt in lane three and attempted to determine what to do about the vehicle being stranded on the main carriageway. "Traffic was still passing by at motorway speed," said Mr Barton.
The drivers of 16 vehicles managed to spot and navigate around the stationary car, just before the southbound Junction 39, in the Wakefield area. However, approximately 29 seconds after the Fiesta came to a stop, a silver Vauxhall Corsa, which had just overtaken another vehicle and pulled back into lane three, collided with the rear of the stricken Fiesta. It was not alleged to have been speeding, yet it failed to slow down or show any indication of braking and "drove directly into the rear of the car".
The prosecution argued that the driver could not have been paying attention to the road ahead. The Fiesta, carrying the three friends, was spun across into lanes one and two before grinding to a halt. Both the Fiesta driver and the Corsa driver managed to exit their vehicles.
Elise and the other passenger remained trapped inside before being freed by passing motorists, who pulled over and rushed to assist, along with the fire service. "Elise Thomas died in hospital, from the injuries that she suffered, at 11.45pm on August 18, 2023," Mr Barton told the court. The second passenger sustained life-altering injuries. CCTV footage captured part of the incident, including the Fiesta's front tyre beginning to deteriorate and the vehicle rolling along the road before coming to a halt.
The defence argued that the Corsa driver may have experienced a phenomenon known as "looming" at the time of the collision. This condition meant he could have struggled to judge how rapidly objects were approaching him - or how quickly he was closing in on them. As a result, the driver may not have noticed the obstruction in his path until he was almost upon it.
He informed police that he believed the lane in front of him was clear - however, CCTV footage demonstrated otherwise. "He did not see the vehicle at all - for whatever reason, we cannot say," Mr Barton stated. The trial of the 51 year old Leeds driver[8] was halted partway through proceedings. He was acquitted of all charges on the direction of the judge, and the jury was subsequently discharged.
Following Elise's death, her family released a statement saying: "Elise was a beautiful soul. She was an inspiration to others and was amazingly talented with her photography. "Even at such a young age, she was successful.
Everything she touched turned to gold." She had a passion for crafts, though wildlife photography remained her primary pursuit.
References
- ^ M1 motorway (www.examinerlive.co.uk)
- ^ East Yorkshire (www.examinerlive.co.uk)
- ^ Dewsbury (www.examinerlive.co.uk)
- ^ Doncaster (www.examinerlive.co.uk)
- ^ Hull Live (www.hulldailymail.co.uk)
- ^ by clicking here (chat.whatsapp.com)
- ^ Read our privacy notice here (www.reachplc.com)
- ^ Leeds driver (www.leeds-live.co.uk)