The son of a couple who were killed with four others in an horrific crash was on holiday abroad when he learned of the tragedy. Lewis, 21, reportedly had to cut short his holiday in Thailand and immediately flew home after discovering his parents Christopher Barton, 56, and Janine Barton, 48, had died in the collision.
The crash involved a motorbike the couple were riding and a Ford Focus – containing four people from the same family – on the A41 in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, on Sunday, June 21. Inside the Ford were Shane Roller, 33, his partner Shannen Morgan, 30, and their daughters Rubie and Lillie Morgan-Roller, nine and four, reports MirrorOnline.
Shane and Shannen’s eldest daughter Poppie, 11, who decided not to join her family and instead went to a friend’s house, was left orphaned. A fundraising page on GoFundMe for Lewis generated £8,156 in donations before it was shut down abruptly. A message on the page currently reads: “Please do not donate as requested by family”, with an additional update stating: “This fundraiser is no longer accepting donations.”
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West Yorkshire Police said Mr and Mrs Barton, who had recently celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary, were described by Lewis as “a loving, caring mum and dad who always put me before everything else.”
A near neighbour of the pair, named only as Margaret, 87, said they were a hard-working couple who “loved life” and were “always laughing”. She said: “I was heartbroken when I heard the news. It’s not fair. It’s the biggest tragedy I’ve ever come across.
“What I’m so distraught over – apart from the fact they were so young – is that Janine was always laughing. Everybody is absolutely devastated on this street. They loved life, they’d worked so hard on their house and their garden and they were so young as far as I’m concerned.
“They only finished the garden off about a fortnight ago. I think they were planning a big party to celebrate their anniversary”, she said, adding their son was a “very, very nice young man”.
Margaret went on: “Christopher loved his bikes. They had been to Scarborough on the bike on the Saturday and were coming home on the Sunday.”
Mr Roller’s father, and grandfather to sisters Rubie and Lillie, shared a tribute on Facebook as he said his son had a heart of gold. Graham Roller wrote: “On Sunday we lost part of our family, Shane Roller, Shannen Morgan and two beautiful little granddaughters in a terrible car accident.
“Shane wasn’t just a son but an amazing father and he had a heart of gold . Shannen, our daughter-in-law, was funny and an amazing mum and they thought the world of their little family.
“They will be very much missed by everyone that new them, but they will always be in our hearts and thoughts forever. Fly high and stay safe together. Love you more than words can say.”
A family friend said Poppie was due to now move in with her auntie, described as an “amazing, loving, and capable guardian”. Paul Hepple, 37, wrote in a GoFundMe page set up for Poppie that her remaining family would be “entirely responsible” for managing the funds.
He said: “Since the tragic incident, Poppie has been staying with us. The love and support we have received from all of you have been truly overwhelming, and we are deeply grateful.
“Regarding the donations, I want to assure you that every penny will go directly to Poppie’s new guardian, her auntie. Poppie will be staying and living with her auntie, who is an amazing, loving, and capable guardian.
“She will be entirely responsible for managing the donations, ensuring all funds are used for Poppie’s well-being, including her living expenses, education, and any counselling she may need.” 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.”
More than £341,000 had been raised so far to support Poppie’s education, emotional support and future care. Mr Hepple said: “It’s awful. No-one is ready for anything like this to happen. She can come any time she likes and we’ll do anything we can to help her.
“She’s a lovely bubbly girl and everyone loved her family. They were always chatty and turned up to parties all the time.”