Blackspot Crash Deaths

Police are investigating a horrific car crash in which three teenagers lost their lives.

Ashley Murphy, 18, lost control of his car on a bend while he and four passengers were on their way to a nightclub in Barnsley, South Yorkshire, to celebrate friend Christopher Lake's 18th birthday.

The vehicle hit a tree and careered into a field, killing Mr Lake and another passenger, Leanne Fletcher, 19.

Mr Murphy died later in hospital after suffering serious head and neck injuries, a collapsed lung and a broken leg. The two other passengers, both 19, were also seriously injured and remain in hospital.

The car was travelling from Chapeltown towards Hoyland when it ran out of control but officers are still trying to piece together what happened and are appealing for witnesses to come forward.

"What we really need to do is to speak to anyone who may have seen the crash or come across it," said Chief Inspector Ian Bint from the South Yorkshire Road Traffic Policing Group.

The scene of the crash is a notorious blackspot where there has been a number of other accidents. About 10 years ago four people died when a car left the road and ploughed into the same line of trees.

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