Get updates delivered to you daily. Free and customizable.
New York Post
Girl, 11, loses her entire family in horrific car crash after instead going to a friend’s house
By News.com.au,
2024-07-25
A young British girl has been orphaned after her parents and two sisters died in a crash that wiped out her entire family.
Poppie Morgan-Roller, 11, had chosen not to join her family for a day out, instead going to a friend’s house while mom Shannen Morgan, dad Shane Roller and sisters Rubie, 9, and Lillie, 4, headed out.
The four never made it back after a motorbike collided with their Ford Focus during the drive home — killing the parents and their two youngest children.
A GoFundMe for the girl, from the UK town of Barnsley in South Yorkshire, has since raised almost £330,000 ($425,000) since the tragedy occurred on Sunday, Metro reports.
Its organizer, family friend Paul Hepple, was looking after Poppie at the time and has described her as a “bright and resilient young girl” who has turned to Taylor Swift’s music to find comfort after she “lost her whole world in an instant.”
“Despite her unimaginable loss, she shows incredible strength every day,” he wrote on the fundraiser.
“Poppie now faces an uncertain future. With her immediate family gone, she needs support to ensure she has a stable, loving environment where she can heal and grow.”
“Her mom actually contacted us and asked if we could watch [the girl] because she didn’t want to go on the walk that they went on,” he told Mail Online.
“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 [the girl’s] auntie was with us and obviously, [she] was as well.
“And then she got a phone call and she ended up leaving really quickly to go and see what happened.”
Devastated friends and family have paid tribute to the family on social media, and vowed to look after Poppie.
Shane’s brother Callum said he was “lost for words,” adding: “I’m absolutely heartbroken. I’m gonna miss all of you! You all had a heart of gold. My heart is ripped into a million pieces!”
Shannen’s friend Chelsea Element wrote: “You are and always will be one of my closest friends.
“There are no words to describe the utter loss this has created for family/friends and the community around us.”
“I hope you’re at peace Shannen Morgan and Shane Roller, with your beautiful girls.”
“Everyone will always look after [the eldest girl], she will never want for anything she has the love of everyone.”
Her cousin Beth Brittain said: “My heart just hurts my brain won’t accept what’s happened.”
“Shannen you were always my extra sister not just my cousin, we grew together. I just can’t speak. No words. Sleep tight my little Roller family your memory will live on for eternity.”
Another added: “My heart is absolutely shattered, I’m lost, I’m numb. It just doesn’t seem real that all four of you are gone.”
Superintendent Alan Travis of the 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.”
For top headlines, breaking news and more, visit nypost.com.
Get updates delivered to you daily. Free and customizable.
It’s essential to note our commitment to transparency:
Our Terms of Use acknowledge that our services may not always be error-free, and our Community Standards emphasize our discretion in enforcing policies. As a platform hosting over 100,000 pieces of content published daily, we cannot pre-vet content, but we strive to foster a dynamic environment for free expression and robust discourse through safety guardrails of human and AI moderation.