Woman and man who died in 'wrong way' M6 collision named

Two people who died when a car travelling the wrong way on the M6 motorway collided with another vehicle have been named.

Jade McEnroe, 33, was one of five people who perished in the collision on the northbound carriageway, past Tebay services in Cumbria, on Tuesday afternoon.

She was in a Toyota which collided with a Skoda being driven southwards.

Among the tributes on her Facebook page, Claire Watt said it was "absolutely devastating"... "a beautiful soul taken far too soon", while Lisajane Alderson said Ms McEnroe was "a lovely girl and a wonderful mum".

Jaroslaw Rossa, 42, along with two boys aged 15 and seven who were in the same vehicle, were among the dead.

All of them were from Glasgow and were declared dead at the scene.

Thomas Heier, CEO of Wagamama, paid tribute to Mr Rossa who worked as a chef at the restaurant chain, describing his "warmth, dedication and kindness," adding that he "will live in our hearts and minds forever".

The Skoda driver, a 40-year-old man from Cambridgeshire, also died in the crash.

Cumbria Constabulary said a third boy in the Toyota, aged seven and also from Glasgow, was airlifted to the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle where he remains in a serious condition.

Officers were called to a report of a Skoda travelling south on the northbound carriageway at just after 4pm.

As they were heading for the area, further calls were received that the Skoda had been involved in a head-on collision with a Toyota, the force said.

Four fire engines from nearby Penrith, Kendal, and Shap went to the scene, and fire crews remained at the scene for several hours.

A stretch of the M6 northbound between J36 and J39 was closed following the crash but reopened fully in the early hours of Wednesday.

Pictures on social media showed a plume of black smoke rising into the sky above the motorway at the site of the crash.

Images also showed the tailbacks created by the incident, with traffic backed up across all three lanes of the motorway.

Driver Chris Isles, 58, captured a picture near the scene after getting held up in the traffic tailback and at first thought it was a vehicle fire.

Mr Isles, from Kirkoswald, said: "It's terrible. It never crossed my mind that there would have been five people killed. It's awful."

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The families of those involved are being supported by specially trained officers, a Cumbria Constabulary spokesperson said.

"Officers would like to thank members of the public that assisted at the scene and those affected by the collision for their patience.

"We would also like to thank those that have already been in touch who witnessed or have dashcam of the incident. We continue the appeal to anyone with information or with dashcam to contact us."

A GoFundMe page has been set up to raise funds "for both families" involved, including help with funeral costs, with more than £6,100 donated by Thursday evening.

(c) Sky News 2024: Woman and man who died in 'wrong way' M6 collision named