Jemma O’Sullivan, aged 22, an Irish citizen and final year pharmacy student at Sunderland University was travelling through South Yorkshire as a passenger in the car with her boyfriend when the collision happened. She was in the passenger seat of the Citroen Berlingo driven by her boyfriend Alan Godfrey, 27, also an Irish citizen.
Mr Godfrey remains in a serious condition at the Northern General Hospital in Sheffield. The horrific pile-up which involved two lorries, a van and a car happened at 3.45pm Friday Afternoon. The accident that resulted in the closure of the M18 caused traffic jams that lasted for more than six hours.
A 66-year-old lorry driver, from Rotherham, received serious leg injuries and is detained at Rotherham District General Hospital.
A red Mercedes heavy goods vehicle hit the back of the Citroen, which in turn collided with the rear of a another lorry – a white Scania R2360. The white lorry toppled over and slid into a white Vauxhall Combo van. The red HGV then smashed through the central reservation, coming to rest partially in the southbound carriageway.
Highways Agency officials worked for more than six hours to clear the wreckage on Friday evening – with the M18 closed in both directions until 10.30pm, causing long tailbacks.
Six people were taken to hospital in the aftermath of the crash.
Three men were treated for minor injuries – the 56-year-old driver of the white lorry, from Rotherham, his passenger, a 61-year-old from Doncaster, and the driver of the white Vauxhall Combo van, 38, from Pontefract.
