British Airways Crew Members Killed in New Year’s Eve Crash

Three BA cabin crew members were tragically killed in a car crash on New Year’s Eve near London’s Heathrow Airport (LHR). The three crew members are identified to be Dominic Fell, Joseph Finnis and Rachel Clark. In the wake of their deaths, there has been an outpouring of support from BA and the general public.

Three members of British Airways (BA) cabin crew were killed in a car crash on New Year’s Eve near London’s Heathrow Airport (LHR), Sky News reports. According to BBC News, the three have been named as Dominic Fell, Joseph Finnis and Rachel Clark, aged 23, 25 and 20, respectively.

Vehicle Collision Near Heathrow Airport

The trio was killed when their car collided with a truck at around 11:40 PM (GMT), local time. A fourth car passenger, a 25-year-old woman, is in stable condition in a local hospital. All were believed to be friends.

Fell, Finnis and Clark all died at the scene and the truck ended up in a nearby river as a result of the collision. In photos shared by various media outlets, the car in which the crew members were traveling is shown upended.

The driver of the truck—which was operated by dnata, an air services provider—was taken to a local hospital as a precautionary measure.

The road, which runs close to the airport’s perimeter, was shut into New Year’s Day as emergency services worked to extract the truck from the river.

No arrests have been made as a result of the incident, but representatives from BA have spoken out in tribute to those who died in the crash.

An Outpouring of Condolences

On New Year’s Day, a spokesperson for the airline was quoted as saying, “We’re deeply saddened to learn of the death of our colleagues involved in a road traffic collision last night. Our thoughts are with their family and friends, who we are supporting at this distressing time.”

In a tweet quoted by Sky, Jai Dillon, BA’s pilot ambassador said, “Thoughts are with the friends and family of the three crew who were tragically taken from us last night whilst driving home from work to be with their loved ones for New Year.”

Flying with Confidence, an assistance program run by BA for those with a fear of flying, tweeted, “Last night we tragically lost three members of our #BritishAirways family… our thoughts and prayers are with their friends and families during this very difficult time.”

A spokesperson for dnata said, “We are fully assisting relevant authorities with their investigations. Our thoughts and condolences are with the families of those affected by this very sad incident.”

An Ongoing Investigation

Local police are investigating the incident, with Sergeant Chris Schultze of the Surrey and Sussex Roads Policing Unit commenting, “Our thoughts are with the family and friends of those involved in this collision at what is an extremely difficult time.”

“We are continuing to appeal for witnesses to what happened and would urge anyone who may have any video footage, CCTV or dashcam or any other kind, to get in touch with us. Please report any information via 101 and quote the reference number PR/P19303422,” he added.

Support for BA Angels

As the BBC reported on Thursday, tributes have continued to be received for the three cabin crew members, with over £74,000 ($97,266 USD) already raised via the GoFundMe “BA Angels” page. FlyerTalk forum users have also been forthcoming in their support and condolences in the wake of the tragic incident.

Speaking of the outpouring of tributes and support in memory of the three young crew members, page organizer Stephen Paul Crook, a member of BA’s Mixed Fleet, wrote, “I have just landed in Sydney after an 8.5hr flight from Singapore to see that my £50 $65)k target has been absolutely blown away…There really aren’t enough word in the world to tell you all how grateful I am to each and every one of you for getting behind this.”

“All of the messages from Crew from all across BA, Europe and America is just absolutely amazing. And so many of our passengers and even people who have never flown BA have also got behind this and that is down to all of you sharing the page and spreading the word so thank you,” he added.

[Featured Image: Screenshot/ Sky News]