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 dawn on December 13, 2025.
Johnson said he feels his family has gone through the trauma of two deaths. During the proceedings, police officials misidentified front-seat passenger Trevor Wynn, then 17, as the male who died in the fatal crash. Wynn's family thought their son was dead until he regained consciousness three weeks later on January 4, 2026. Meanwhile, Joshua Johnson's family had stayed by the bedside of the severely injured Wynn, unaware that 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. The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), which is leading the investigation into the misidentification error, earlier stated that it was "clear something has gone very wrong", leading to "awful consequences" for both families.
Legal experts and community leaders have expressed deep concern over the systemic failures that allowed such a critical identification error to persist for weeks. The local police department has issued a formal apology to both families, promising a transparent inquiry to ensure accountability and prevent similar tragedies in the future.