A devastating police error meant two grieving families endured three weeks of anguish beside the wrong teenager following a fatal road collision, a coroner's hearing has revealed.
A Chain of Catastrophic Errors
The tragic case centres on Trevor Wynn and Joshua Johnson, two teenagers involved in a serious crash. South Yorkshire Police informed Trevor Wynn's family that he had died, while Joshua Johnson's family was told their son was alive but seriously injured in hospital. In reality, the identities were reversed.
At Doncaster Coroner's Court, it was heard that personal items belonging to both boys were found near the scene but not directly on them. Detective Chief Inspector Andy Knowles explained an officer used a college ID card provided by Trevor's mother, along with a description of his build and clothing, to visually identify a body at Rotherham mortuary. "The officer was satisfied that this was the body of Trevor Wynn," DCI Knowles stated.
Concurrently, a second officer at the hospital was informed by colleagues at the crash site that the surviving casualty was Joshua Johnson. A photograph from a driver's licence was compared to the sedated patient, and staff accepted the identification.
Unanswered Questions and Protocol Failures
Serious questions remain about why formal forensic or dental checks were not conducted immediately. The reliance on visual identification by traumatised relatives and a verbal handover between officers is now under scrutiny for potentially creating confirmation bias.
For 22 days, Trevor's parents visited and mourned over the body they believed was their son, while Joshua's family kept vigil by the bedside of the teen they thought was Joshua. It is reported facial injuries and physical similarities between the boys contributed to the mistake going unnoticed by both families and hospital staff for over three weeks.
Dental records were only used in early January, confirming Joshua's identity "to a high degree of certainty" and finally revealing the horrific truth. The delay has prompted an investigation into whether police protocol was bypassed.
Legal Ramifications and Ongoing Investigation
Two individuals, aged 18 and 19, have been arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving and perverting the course of justice. A major concern now is whether the 22-day delay and the misidentification could complicate evidence or future legal proceedings.
The coroner's hearing has laid bare a series of procedural failures that compounded a tragedy. Both families are now left dealing not only with their original loss but with the additional trauma of this catastrophic administrative error. The case continues.
