Family of teenager misidentified in fatal crash 'went through two deaths', inquest hears

A heartbroken father of a crash victim spent three weeks at the bedside of a passenger fighting for life, believed to be his son because of a police identification error, an inquest told.

This revelation came during a coroner's hearing held in Doncaster on Monday, September 7, 2026.

Lee Johnson said he “couldn’t comprehend it” when he was told his son Joshua, 18, had actually died in a car crash in Todwick, near Rotherham, South Yorkshire.

Joshua and driver Summer Louise Scott, 17, died when their Toyota Corolla left Todwick Road and collided with a tree before the dawn’s first crack on December 13, 2025.

Johnson said he feels his family has gone through the trauma of two deaths.

During the last court hearing, police officials misidentified front seat passenger Trevor Wynn, then 17, as the male who died in the fatal crash.

Wynn’s family then thought their son was dead until he came out of sedation three weeks later on January 4, 2026.

But the tragedy didn't end there, as Joshua Johnson’s family had stayed by the bedside of the severely injured Wynn, not knowing their son was already dead.

A statement from Johnson was read at Doncaster Coroner’s Court, where a coroner concluded on Monday, September 7, that his son was unlawfully killed.

Earlier this year, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), which is leading the investigation into a case involving misidentification error, said it was “clear something has gone very wrong”, leading to “awful consequences” for the two families.