Mom and daughter burned to death when van driver, high on cocaine, crashed into their car while watching TikTok
BEDFORDSHIRE, UK: A van driver was sentenced to five years and seven months behind bars after he took the lives of a mother and her daughter. As per reports, Luke Flanagan was driving irresponsibly while high on cocaine—three times the legal limit—in November 2021 when the incident happened.
The Mirror reported that the 28-year-old was also engaged in watching TikTok while behind the wheel, leading to the deaths of 55-year-old Emma van der Avoird and her 16-year-old daughter Khiana, of Little Paxton, Cambridgeshire. The older victim was going to drop her daughter at school at eight in the morning when Flanagan’s Ford Transit crashed into their Peugeot 2008 and caught fire.
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‘I cannot tell you just how hard it is not to have her’
Though the accused tried to save the pair and also suffered some burns himself, they died. On Monday, April 17, Flanagan, of Skipper Way, Little Paxton, was given the jail sentence at Luton Crown Court after he pleaded guilty to two counts of causing death by dangerous driving. Also, he cannot drive for another four years and nine months.
Judge Michael Simon said, as per the BBC, "Almost immediately, the liquid could be seen flooding out from the offside of the Peugeot, and within seconds, the liquid ignited and the car burst into flames, with the conflagration extending to the defendant's van as well."
Simon noted, "To his credit, the defendant immediately got out of his van and made attempts to help the driver of the burning car, but the heat was so intense that there was nothing he or anyone else could do."
A victim impact statement was also read in court by Avoird’s younger sister, "My sister Emma and her daughter Khiana were inseparable as a pair. Emma was my older sister, with whom I grew up."
She continued, "We always dropped into our old way of being when together, and we chattered away whenever we met or spoke on the phone; time just ran away. I really only ever had that type of relationship with Emma, and I cannot tell you just how hard it is not to have her or the chance to speak to or see her again. The impact of Emma and Khiana's deaths was made considerably worse by the manner of their deaths."
‘I hope that he can find a way to live with’
The family member also added, "They were just on their way to school like normal, stationary in traffic. I honestly will never come to terms with this or the fact that their lives ended so needlessly. I understand Mr Flanagan did try to get them out and sustained burns himself, and I thank him for that, but that is nothing compared to the impact his actions have had on me and my wider family. I hope that he can find a way to live with what he has done because I know how hard it continues to be for me."
Besides, Detective Sergeant Ben Heath from the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, and Hertfordshire Serious Collision Investigation Unit, reportedly shared, "First and foremost, my thoughts are with Emma and Khiana's family and their terrible loss. This was an extremely sad incident that could have been avoided, had Flanagan been paying attention to the road."
Heath concluded, "I can't stress enough the importance of paying due care and attention when driving, especially at fast speeds. You are in charge of a powerful machine, so not being aware of what is happening around you can lead to potentially tragic consequences, which is sadly what happened in this case."