A61 crash update: £400k raised for girl, 11, tragically orphaned after head-on collision which killed family

Shane Roller, aged 33, Shannen Morgan, 30, and their young daughters Rubie and Lillie Morgan-Roller, nine and four, from Athersley, Barnsley, died at the scene.

The third daughter, aged 11, who decided not to go with them on the family outing, was left an orphan by the tragedy.

Married couple Christopher Barton, 56, and Janine Barton, 48, who were on a motorbike at the time of the crash, were also pronounced dead at the scene.

Their son described the pair, who had recently celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary, as “a loving, caring mum and dad who always put me before everything else”.

At the inquest opening at Wakefield Coroner's Court, it was revealed that Christopher had been 'overtaking' another vehicle when he collided 'head on' with the family's car on July 21.

Over £400,000 has been raised for Shannen and Shane’s surviving daughter via a GoFundMe page set up by family friend Paul Hepple, aged 37, from Barnsley.

He writes on the page: “Your incredible generosity and support continue to amaze us, and we are profoundly grateful for each and every contribution.

“We, along with [her] aunt, will soon be meeting with a financial advisor to ensure the money is managed properly. 

“We are committed to handling the donations responsibly, with all funds going directly towards [her] well-being and future. 

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“We appreciate all the advice and concerns shared about setting up a trust fund, and we want to reassure everyone that the funds will be safeguarded for [her] needs.”

Paul shared last month how the 11-year-old had asked to stay with his daughter, who she had been playing with, instead of going for a family walk, on the day disaster struck.

Paul and Shannen spoke on the phone and agreed the youngster could stay.

Paul, a father-of-four, said: “We were watching [her], as she’s best mates with our daughter. She was with our daughter having fun. 

“And on [the family’s] way home, that’s when the accident happened.

“No one is prepared for it. No one is ready for anything like this to happen.”

A driver of an unrelated car was arrested in the following days on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving.

A spokesperson for West Yorkshire Police said no further arrests have been made, and the man who was arrested remains on bail.

It is reported that the inquest has been postponed to a future date, not yet confirmed, due to the ongoing police investigation.