An 11-year-old girl left orphaned after her entire family died in a horrific car crash was playing at a friend’s house after choosing not to go on a walk with them.
Shane Roller, his partner Shannen Morgan, and their children Lillie and Rubie were all killed on Sunday after their Ford Focus smashed into a motorbike with two people onboard and burst into a ball of flames in Wakefield, West Yorkshire.
The motorbike was allegedly driving on the wrong side of the road at the time of the crash, and both passengers were also killed in the collision.
Family friend Paul Hepple, 37, said he had agreed to look after 11-year-old Poppie for the afternoon after getting a phone call from her mother Shannen saying she did not want to join them on a walk.
The father-of-four, who has since set up a GoFundMe page to help support Poppie which has raised over £171,000 so far, said the family were just settling down for Sunday dinner when they received an emergency phone call.
Mr Hepple said: ‘Her mum actually contacted us and asked if we could watch Poppie because she didn’t want to go on the walk that they went on.
‘So we were watching Poppie as she’s best mates with our daughter. She was with our daughter having fun. And on their way home, that’s when the accident happened.
‘We were having Sunday dinner as a family, and Poppie’s auntie was with us and obviously, Poppie was as well. And then she got a phone call and she ended up leaving really quickly to go and see what happened.’
He described Poppie as a ‘lovely’ girl whose family was well-liked in the local community. ‘They were always chatty and turned up to parties all the time,’ he added.
Family friend Jamie Phillips, 31, told the Mail the family must have only been on the road for ‘a few minutes’ before the collision due to the proximity of the crash site to the family’s house..
Speaking as he lay flowers at the scene, Mr Phillips told MailOnline: ‘I couldn’t sleep all night knowing what happened. They were a well-loved family. Shane was a hard-working lad, always smiling and cheerful.
‘I said to my partner this morning I just need to come down and lay some flowers. I just had to do something. We’re a small community and we’ve all been affected by it.
Following the news, Shane’s brother Callum took to social media to say he was ‘lost for words’ by the deaths of his family, which he claimed was due to the motorcyclists driving on the wrong side of the road.
He wrote on Facebook: ‘There’s a poor little girl that’s been left with no family. It’s a shock for us all. They were a lovely family. Bright and cheerful. Just to be travelling down the road and then for something like this to happen, it’s devastating.
‘I’m absolutely heartbroken. I’m gonna miss all of you! It’s absolutely broken my heart and it’s absolutely broken both sides of the family!’ he wrote. You all had a heart of gold and gonna miss you all like crazy! My heart goes out to Shannen’s side of the family and mine! We are all in absolute shock!’
Superintendent Alan Travis of Wakefield District Police said: ‘This is an absolutely tragic incident which has resulted in the loss of six lives.
‘Our thoughts go out to the families of those who have died who we are working with to provide support at this time.’
The A61 has been closed between Shaw Lane and Warren Lane and is likely to remain closed for some time as the investigation continues.
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