A police identification error left two South Yorkshire families living through the wrong nightmare for 22 days after a fatal crash near Rotherham. Trevor Wynn, 17, was wrongly reported dead, while Joshua Johnson, 18, was believed to be the injured teenager in hospital.
The mistake followed a collision on Todwick Road, between Dinnington and Todwick, in the early hours of 13 December 2025. A silver Toyota Corolla left the road, killing the 17-year-old driver, Summer Louise Scott, and one of the two male passengers.
Trevor’s family were told he had died, while Joshua’s relatives were informed that he had survived and was being treated in hospital. They spent weeks visiting the unconscious patient they believed to be their son.
The error came to light in early January when concerns were raised about the identity of the teenager in hospital. Further formal checks, including forensic and dental examinations, established that the patient was Trevor Wynn and that Joshua Johnson had died in the crash.
How the crash victims were misidentified
At an inquest hearing at Doncaster Coroner’s Court, South Yorkshire Police said several personal items had been recovered from the scene, but none had been found directly on either of the young men.
One phone case contained Joshua’s driving licence. Another showed medical identification in Trevor’s name and had a bank card attached to it. An officer also received Trevor’s college identification card and a description of his appearance, build and clothing from his mother.
The officer took the card to Rotherham mortuary, where the deceased teenager had initially been registered as an unidentified male. After comparing the information with the body, the officer concluded that it was Trevor.
Meanwhile, another officer travelling with the surviving casualty was told that he was Joshua. A photograph obtained from Joshua’s driving licence was compared with the sedated patient, leading to the same mistaken conclusion.
Detective Chief Inspector Andrew Knowles, South Yorkshire Police’s senior identification manager, told the court that the identities had since been resolved to a high degree of certainty. Senior coroner Nicola Mundy said the appropriate amendments would be made to the official records.
Joshua’s family said they and many loved ones had spent hours at the hospital with the teenager they now knew to be Trevor, adding that they had never wanted him to be alone.
South Yorkshire Police referred itself to the Independent Office for Police Conduct after the error was discovered. The watchdog said it would examine the circumstances of the misidentification and whether the relevant policies and procedures had been followed.
Emily Barry, an IOPC director, said it was clear that “something has gone very wrong”, with “awful consequences” for both families.
The inquest heard that two people had been arrested in connection with the crash investigation: an 18-year-old on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving and a 19-year-old on suspicion of perverting the course of justice. Both were released on bail while inquiries continued.
