Police Name Durham Crash Family
Three family members who were killed in a head-on collision between a people carrier and a truck in County Durham have been named by police.
Driver Robert Reed, 75, Natalie Simpson, 18, and her 14-month-old daughter, Destiny Reed, died in the crash on the B1404 between Houghton-le-Spring and Seaham on Wednesday. Mr Reed's 74-year-old wife, Margaret, was flown by helicopter to the James Cook University Hospital, Middlesbrough, where she was in a critical but stable condition, Durham Police said. Ms Simpson was the partner of Mr and Mrs Reed's grandson, the force said. The family live in the Houghton-le-Spring area and relatives have asked not be contacted by the media. The 42-year-old Volvo truck driver, who is from the Hetton-le-Hole area, is due to be questioned later after he was arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving. His lorry was heading towards Houghton-le-Spring and was carrying building materials when it collided with the Reeds' Renault Megane Scenic coming down the hill. The road is subject to a 60mph limit. The truck crashed through a hedge and ended up in the middle of a fairway at Sharpley Golf Club. Simon Weightman, a farmer who diversified to build the golf club, said: ``The lorry's fuel tank was ruptured as if the lorry had gone over the car. I got a quick glimpse of the car but it was very traumatic to see it. Golfers who saw it came off the course. They could clearly see it was awful.'' Mr Weightman said there had been several bad crashes on the stretch of road since he moved to the farm in 1989 and it was the third time the air ambulance had attended.
