A Living Nightmare: Police Mistakenly Inform Family of Son’s Death

In a devastating case of mistaken identity, South Yorkshire Police have issued a formal apology after wrongly informing a family that their teenage son had died in a car accident. For over three weeks, the family of 17-year-old Trevor Wynn believed he was deceased, only to discover he was alive and recovering in a hospital bed.

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The Sequence of Events

The tragedy began in the early hours of December 13, 2024, following a high-speed collision on Todwick Road in Rotherham. A silver Toyota Corolla struck a tree, resulting in two immediate fatalities.

• Initial Identification: Police believed Trevor Wynn and a 17-year-old girl were the victims who died at the scene. They identified the survivor—who was rushed to the hospital in a coma—as Joshua Johnson, 18.
• The Error: In reality, the identities were reversed. Joshua Johnson had tragically passed away, while Trevor Wynn was the young man fighting for his life in intensive care.
• The Discovery: The mistake went unnoticed until January 4, 2026. Upon waking from his coma, Trevor was able to communicate with officers and provide his true identity, revealing the catastrophic error.

The Impact on the Families

The emotional toll of this mix-up is profound:

• The Wynn Family: Spent nearly a month mourning their son, even launching a local fundraiser in his memory, before learning he was alive.
• The Johnson Family: Believed their son, Joshua, was the survivor in the hospital, only to be told weeks later that he had actually died at the scene of the crash.

“To be told your child has died and then find out weeks later they are alive is a trauma no one should endure; conversely, to believe your child survived only to find they are gone is equally heart-wrenching.”

Investigation and Accountability

South Yorkshire Police have referred themselves to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) to determine how the identification process failed so completely.

1. Police Response: Assistant Chief Constable Rick Alton called the error “unimaginably distressing” and confirmed a full internal review is underway.
2. Criminal Charges: An 18-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving, while a 19-year-old was arrested for perverting the course of justice. Both remain on bail.
3. Community Reaction: Local MP Jake Richards is demanding a transparent explanation to ensure such a failure never happens again.