Three BA cabin crew killed in New Year’s Eve smash
Their car collides with lorry minutes before midnight
THREE British Airways cabin crew were killed in a high-speed crash between their car and a lorry late on New Year’s Eve.
The smash near Heathrow Airport 20 minutes before midnight left another colleague fighting for life.
The Mercedes lorry was shunted into a river by the force of the collision with the Toyota Yaris – said to be travelling at 80mph – but the driver was not hurt.
A BA source said the three victims – two men aged 25 and 23 and a 20-year-old woman – along with the 25 year-old stewardess who survived, were friends travelling to celebrate the New Year.
The BA insider said: ‘ They were off-duty and really good friends from work just socialising. It’s a terrible tragedy.’
A BA spokesman said: ‘We’re deeply saddened to learn of the death of our colleagues involved in a road traffic collision. Our thoughts are with their family and friends, who we are supporting at this distressing time.’ A GoFundMe page set up in memory of the victims called BA Angels Fund had raised more than £15,000 by last night.
The front of the Yaris was destroyed in the smash in Stanwell, Surrey. The truck – shunted into the River Longford – was reportedly bound for Heathrow and is understood to have contained goods destined for Amsterdam.
Witnesses said the scene looked like a ‘war zone’. One added: ‘ We heard the two women in the rear of the car screaming. The emergency services got here really quickly. They had no chance.’
Nearby resident Barbara Ali, a mother-of-one, said: ‘I heard a really loud bang. I thought at first it was fireworks because it was New Year’s Eve so I did not go outside but later when I heard the sirens and saw the blue lights I went out.
‘They were doing first aid on a person for 45 minutes. I can imagine for the paramedics it was a really awful night.
‘A fire brigade officer told us the lorry driver had swerved into the river because he was trying to avoid hitting the car.’
Police sergeant Chris Schultze said: ‘Our thoughts are with the family and friends of those involved in this collision at what is an extremely difficult time. We are continuing to appeal for witnesses to what happened and would urge anyone who may have any video footage to get in touch with us.’
The lorry was operated by Dubai-based freight company Dnata. A spokesman said: ‘We are fully assisting relevant authorities with their investigations. Our thoughts and condolences are with the families of those affected by this very sad incident.’
A local motorist, who did not want to be named, said: ‘You would be amazed how many accidents have happened down that road.’
Meanwhile, a crash in the early hours of yesterday in Manchester left one man dead and five people injured.
The 59-year- old driver of a Skoda died in hospital after his vehicle collided with a Mercedes in Fallowfield.