Girl, 11, left orphaned by crash ‘was taking part in at a pal’s home’
An 11-year-old girl who has been left orphaned after her parents and two younger sisters were killed in a fireball crash was playing at a friend’s house at the time after choosing not to go on a walk with them, a friend said today.
Shane Roller, his partner Shannen Morgan, and their children Lillie and Rubie died when their Ford Focus smashed into a motorbike with a man and a woman on board just before 4pm yesterday.
The motorbike was allegedly driving on the wrong side of the road before the collision on the A61 between Barnsley and Wakefield, which also killed two other people.
Paul Hepple, 37, said he had agreed to look after the family’s eldest daughter, Poppie, after getting a phone call from her mother Shannen saying she did not want to join them on a walk.
The father of four, who has set up a GoFundMe page to support Poppie, said they were settling down for a Sunday dinner when they got an emergency phone call.
Shane Roller, his partner Shannen Morgan, and their children Lillie and Rubie died when their Ford Focus crashed into a motorbike. Their third daughter’s face is obscured in this picture
A GoFundMe page has now been set up to pay for their surviving daughter’s education, emotional support and future care
Lillie and Rubie tragically died in the crash. They are pictured with their surviving sister
Flowers have been left near the scene of the fatal crash between Barnsley and Wakefield
Shane’s brother, Callum, took to social media last night to say he was ‘lost for words’ following the harrowing incident
Mr Hepple said: ‘Her mum actually contacted us and asked if we could watch Poppie because she didn’t want to go on the walk that they went on.
‘So we were watching Poppie as she’s best mates with our daughter. She was with our daughter having fun. And on their way home, that’s when the accident happened.
‘We were having Sunday dinner as a family, and Poppie’s auntie was with us and obviously, Poppie was as well. And then she got a phone call and she ended up leaving really quickly to go and see what happened.’
The software developer, who is a long-standing friend of Poppie’s parents, has raised more than £31,000 to support her education, emotional support and future care.
He said: ‘It’s awful. No one is ready for anything like this to happen. She can come any time she likes and we’ll do anything we can to help her.’
Mr Hepple described Poppie as a ‘bubbly’ girl who loved Taylor Swift and said her family was widely liked locally.
He added: ‘She’s a lovely bubbly girl and everyone loved her family. They were always chatty and turned up to parties all the time.’
Victim Shane Roller’s brother, Callum, took to social media last night to say he was ‘lost for words’ following the harrowing incident, as he claimed the motorbike had been driving on the wrong side of the road.
‘I’m absolutely heartbroken. I’m gonna miss all of you! It’s absolutely broken my heart and it’s absolutely broken both sides of the family!’ he wrote. You all had a heart of gold and gonna miss you all like crazy! My heart goes out to Shannen’s side of the family and mine! We are all in absolute shock!’
Family friend Jamie Phillips, 31, said he believed the family could have only been on the road ‘for a matter of minutes’ before the collision because they lived nearby.
He said the community had been left devastated by the tragedy and that Shane, who worked part-time as a delivery driver for the local takeaway, was popular in the area.
Speaking as he lay flowers at the scene, Mr Phillips told MailOnline: ‘I couldn’t sleep all night knowing what happened. They were a well-loved family. Shane was hard-working lad, always smiling and cheerful.
‘I said to my partner this morning I just need to come down and lay some flowers. I just had to do something. We’re a small community and we’ve all been affected by it.
‘There’s a poor little girl that’s been left with no family. It’s a shock for us all. They were a lovely family. Bright and cheerful. Just to be travelling down the road and then for something like this to happen, it’s devastating.
‘For all of us as a community, it’s devastating. It’s a bad road. I eat at the café on the road regularly and there’s more people travel up and down here at stupid speeds.
Four female relatives were too upset to speak as they left cards, photos and teddy bears by the scene of the crash today
One card read: ‘Fly high beautiful angels. We will miss you lots’, while a second said: ‘You touched so many hearts. RIP to you all.’
A steady stream of tributes have been left at the site all day, as well-wishers from the community paid their respects to the family.
One woman broke down in tears as she lay a bouquet of flowers at the scene.
Meanwhile, couple held each other as they lay their flowers, which included a photo of themselves with Shane.
An aerial photo taken today of the crash site on the A61 between Wakefield and Barnsley
Pictures from the aftermath of the crash showed a burnt-out car by the side of the road
West Yorkshire Police described the collision as an ‘absolutely tragic incident’ and called for witnesses to come forward with dashcam footage.
A wellwisher leaves a bouquet of flowers near the scene of the fatal crash on the A61
One message said the family ‘touched so many hearts’
Another friend of the family, a former neighbour, told MailOnline today: ‘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 and he was fine so I could not believe it when I heard.’
Security minister Dan Jarvis, who is MP for Barnsley North, said: ‘Devastating news. My heartfelt condolences go to the family and friends of those who have tragically lost their lives,’ he wrote.
Footage of the aftermath of the crash showed a burnt-out car and a large police presence on the A61 between Wakefield and Barnsley.
West Yorkshire Police described the collision as an ‘absolutely tragic incident’ and called for witnesses to come forward with dashcam footage.
The surviving daughter has been described as ‘bright and resilient’, with an ‘infectious smile and a kind heart’.
The fundraising page said she enjoys playing football and playing outdoors, and is also a ‘huge Taylor Swift fan’.
It is understood the family’s Ford Focus burst into flames after colliding with the motorbike. Images show the blackened and mangled wreckage of the vehicle in a grass verge.
Debris, believed to be from the motorbike, could be seen strewn in the middle of the road.
Emergency services were scrambled to the accident shortly before 4pm but were unable to save the six victims.
Officers at the scene of the horrific incident, which happened on Sunday near Barnsley
Black marks can be seen on the A61 today following the incident yesterday afternoon
Superintendent 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.’
The A61 has been closed between Shaw Lane and Warren Lane and is likely to remain closed for some time as the investigation continues.
Anyone who witnessed the collision or who has dashcam footage who has not already been in contact with police is asked to contact West Yorkshire Police by calling 101 or go online at https://www.westyorkshire.police.uk/LiveChat quoting reference 1157 of 21/7.
