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Firefighter attending fatal Leeds car crash 'finds injured daughter in collision'

Four young men died at the scene 

Alina Polianskaya
Tuesday 03 July 2018 03:00 EDT
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Leeds car crash: Four men aged between 18 and 21 killed and two girls seriously injured

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A firefighter who attended the scene of a “tragic” car crash in Leeds in which four young men died yesterday reportedly found his daughter also injured in the collision.

The emergency service worker’s daughter was in the same vehicle, according to reports in The Times.

The crash, which took place early on Saturday morning involved a Seat Leon car, which may have been travelling at speed, according to West Yorkshire Police, and a Seat Alhambra people carrier, which was being used as a taxi.

Six people were in the five-seater Seat Leon when the crash took place. Two men aged 19, an 18-year-old and a 21-year old all died at the scene.

They have been named locally as Declan Grove, Matty Walshaw, Brandon Frew and Caelan Megson.

Two teenage girls and the 42-year-old taxi driver were also injured in the crash, which happened at around 2.41am on Saturday

The 16-year-old girl was in a critical condition in hospital, while the 17-year-old and the taxi driver’s injuries are not thought to be life threatening.

Local resident Steph Callaghan said she a woman managing to crawl out from the crash and that dozens of emergency vehicles were at the scene.

She described hearing "quite a loud car which sounded like it was travelling at speed" crashing outside her home.

She said: "I went outside and could not see really well - there were so many vehicles involved. It was such a mangle.

"There was a man – I think it was the taxi driver – shouting for an ambulance and saying there was a lot of blood."

Others described seeing one injured girl lying in the road, and another escaping from the car as emergency services arrived.

The spot where the crash took place, on Broadway near the junction with Bank Gardens in Horsforth, has been described as a dangerous spot where there have been numerous near misses in the past.

Allan Vickers, 39, who also lives locally, described it as an “accident blackspot” according to The Mirror, adding that “the two cars were totally destroyed” in what was the first fatal crash at the site.

Ms Callaghan added: "I really hope they are going to put in some speed cameras or do about this road. It is a wide road and maybe at night it seems like it is ok to drive down but there are other vehicles."

Flowers were placed at the scene as tributes poured in for the victims.

Chara Andrews, one friend who grew up with the four young men, described them as “the best set of lads you could ever meet”, according to SWNS.

Sergeant Fiona Hoodless, of West Yorkshire Police's major collision inquiry team, described the incident as "very tragic".

She said: "We are carrying out extensive inquiries to establish the full circumstances surrounding this incident and that investigation is still at a very early stage.

"Early indications are that the Leon was travelling at speed at the time of the collision.

Police are appealing for witnesses of the crash and for anyone who saw the Seat Leon being driven at any point before the collision, especially if they have dashcam footage.

West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue service did not immediately respond to The Independent's request for comment.

Press Association contributed to this story.

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