A66 Wrong-Way Crash Kills 7 as Police Fundraiser Tops £100,000

3 articles · Updated · The Independent · Aug 23

Two Cleveland Police officers killed in the A66 collision were identified as PCs Tom Clough, 38, and Matthew Blades, 37, as families called them heroes who died in the line of duty.
Five Volkswagen Passat occupants were also named — Makai Saddington, 18, Michael Cahill, 23, Theo Rae, 17, Cole Worthy, 17, and Jakub Matusiak, 23 — and no one survived.
Seven minutes into a pursuit, officers stopped chasing the Passat after it entered the A66 the wrong way; 10 seconds later it hit an oncoming armed response police vehicle not involved in the chase.
The IOPC has opened a mandatory investigation, saying the car was suspected of using cloned plates and that officers have already provided initial accounts, logs and in-car footage.
More than £100,000 has been raised for the officers' families, while tributes and memorial plans spread across Teesside as the A66 remained closed for forensic work.