Tragic: Bethany Cockburn and her 23-month-old daughter Lacie Jade Stephenson (pictured with Bethany’s boyfriend) were among the five members of the same family who were killed in the crash

Horror scene: Five people have died in a car crash in North East Lincolnshire, Humberside Police have said

Horror: The family’s Nissan Primera covered up next to the lorry following the fatal crash that killed five people

 

Three members of the Durham family were pronounced dead at the scene on the A18 near Laceby Manor Golf Club, Grimsby, while two died in the nearby Diana Princess of Wales Hospital. The driver of the lorry is thought to have sustained minor injuries.

Floral tributes were today laid outside the family home in Chester-Le-Street, County Durham.

Chris Baron, resort director at Butlin’s Skegness, said: ‘We are all shocked and stunned by this tragedy and our thoughts go out to the extended families of the victims.

‘Our team at Skegness is offering support and assistance to the other competitors and their families. We are working closely with the dance competition organisers.’

Operations Superintendent Tracy Bradley, of Humberside Police, said: ‘Our deepest thoughts go out to the family and friends of those who were tragically killed in this collision which happened on the A18 yesterday. We are working closely with relatives of those who lost their lives and are supporting them through what will be a very difficult time.

Scene: The head-on collision between the family’s car and the light goods vehicle occurred at 12.30pm today on Barton Street, Grimsby

‘Roads policing officers are working closely with our collision investigation team to piece together the evidence we have gathered in order to try and determine what led to this tragic incident taking place and took the lives of those travelling in the Nissan at the time.

‘We have spoken to a number of key witnesses already, however, if anyone saw the incident but has not come forward I would ask them to do so.’

A force spokesman said relatives of the family have asked to be left alone.

Witnesses said the road was notoriously dangerous. Jason Abrams, a golfer at the nearby Laceby Manor Golf Club, told ITV News: ‘It’s a bendy road but people do go at a great lick along it. It’s 60mph at the moment but the council are looking at changing it to 50 and hopefully this will make a difference.

‘A car went into an articulated lorry. All we know is what the police have said – that the car tried to overtake something or the car hit a curb which has sent it spinning out of control and obviously gone head-on into a lorry.’

Supt Bradley told the Grimsby Telegraph officers were looking for further witnesses to come forward.

‘At this moment in time we are conducting an investigation to try to find out what the cause of the incident was, and we have family liaison officers that are working with family and relatives of the deceased,’ he said.

‘We would like to appeal to any witnesses that either saw any of the vehicles prior to the collision or saw the incident occurring.’

Eight emergency vehicles were called to the scene, five ambulances and three fire engines, some of which remain tonight, according to witnesses.

The road was closed for investigations but was reopened shortly after 10pm yesterday.

The road is of the most notorious in the area and has been scene of 20 accidents in the last three years.

It featured in a BBC television programme, Britain’s Most Dangerous Roads, in 2011, which claimed it was 25 times more dangerous than the average British motorway.

It was also found to be the UK’s highest-risk stretch of road for car drivers in a nationwide survey by the Road Safety Foundation in 2010.