Driver in court after double fatal collision
A Sunderland woman has appeared in court charged in connection with a collision which claimed the lives of two girls and left four others injured.
Mary Michelle Stokes, 23, appeared before Peterlee Magistrates’ Court, where the bench sent the case to Durham Crown Court due to the serious nature of the charges.
She faces two allegations of causing death by dangerous driving after threeyear-old Kelsey Stokes and
Shauna Stokes, 17, died following a collision on the A1086 Coast Road between Blackhall Colliery and Horden on Wednesday, September 2, last year.
They were travelling in a Peugeot 206 when the car was involved in a crash with a van.
She is also charged with four further allegations of causing serious injury by dangerous driving on the same date, after four people were left hurt in the tragedy.
The case was sent to the crown court to be heard on Friday, May 14, and Stokes was given unconditional bail until that date.
A total of seven people were taken to hospital following the collision, which happened at around 2.30pm, and led to the road being closed off for several hours.
The toddler died on the same day as the crash, while Shauna died the next day after being taken to hospital.
It is understood the girls, who were related to each other and were from Derry in Northern Ireland, had been on their way to a birthday celebration.
A large number of flowers and other items were left close to the scene in tribute to them.
Inquests into their deaths have been opened by the County Durham Coroner’s
Office, with the hearings previously been told information was awaited from Durham Constabulary and the Crown Prosecution Service in relation to the inquiry into the crash.
The next hearing is scheduled to take place on Monday, May 10, at Crook Civic Centre.
A joint funeral was held for the girls in Londonderry, where mourners at St Joseph’s Church, in Galliagh, wore T-shirts decorated with photographs of them and an aeroplane flew overhead carrying a message reading ‘2 Beautiful Angels Left 4 Heaven’ flowing behind it.