Colchester and Pitsea crashes mark worst day in group’s history

A road safety group said the deaths of six young people in one day marked the worst 24 hours in its history.

Four students from the University of Essex died after the car they were in crashed into a building in Colchester on Saturday.

Almost 14 hours later, nine-year-old Darcie Casselden and her brother Roman, 16, were fatally struck by a car in Pitsea, near Basildon while riding an e-scooter.

“There has never been this many people killed on our roads in a single day in the 43 years we have on record,” the Safer Essex Roads Partnership (SERP) said.

The group has a long-held ambition of eliminating all deaths and serious injuries on the county’s roads by 2040.

It brought together organisations including Essex Police, National Highways and local councils to campaign for road safety.

TJ Hibbert, 24, Makyle Bayley, 22, Daljang Wol, 22, and 21-year-old Eva Darold-Tchikaya died in the crash in Colchester on Saturday.

They had been in a car travelling in Magdalen Street when it left the road at about 04:40 GMT.

Prof Maria Fasli, vice-chancellor at the university, said they “touched the lives of so many”.

The crash came about 14 hours before the accident in Pitsea.

A man and a woman, both in their 20s, were arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving and failing to stop at the scene of the incident in connection with the crash.

“We are collectively grieving these six tragic losses of lives,” SERP said in a statement posted on Facebook.

“Behind every number is a family facing unimaginable grief and our hearts go out to them.”

The campaign group said the incidents served as a reminder “to work tirelessly” towards eliminating all road deaths.

It urged motorists to “pause and reflect on the tragedy of this weekend” when they got behind the wheel.

“These deaths are not acceptable, and we know the devastation and excruciating pain will have a ripple effect across so many people,” SERP added.