Three teenagers killed in South Wales crash named, as family pay tribute to the 'most perfect son'

12 December 2023, 15:57 | Updated: 12 December 2023, 16:34

The three teenagers killed in a crash between a bus and a car in Coedely on Monday evening have been named.

Callum Griffiths, 19, Jesse Owen, 18, and Morgan Smith, 18, have been named as the three victims of the crash.

Two men were also taken to hospital with life-threatening injuries.

The father of Morgan Smith, Daniel Chalfont, said he was “broken” following the incident.

Writing on Facebook, he said: “My baby boy Morgan Smith. Literally the most perfect son you could ever wish for. Miss you so much already. Don’t know how I’ll live life without you . Literally broken”.

Maerdy Boxing Club paid tribute to Morgan, who was an amateur boxing champion, as it said in a statement: “Morgan was the nicest person you could ever wish to meet.

“Not only was Morgan a great person he was also a very talented Boxer becoming a Welsh Champion, representing Wales in the British Championships and also traveled to Ireland with us to box.

"Our thoughts and prays are with Morgan's family at this very sad time."

The club said it would be closed until further notice.

Read more: Three teenagers killed in South Wales crash named, as family pay tribute to the 'most perfect son'

Read more: Missing mum Gaynor Lord ‘likely entered water’ as police probe gap between last sighting and phone being found

Emergency services were called to the scene in the small village of Coedely, which is about 20 miles north-west of Cardiff, on Monday evening at around 7pm. Three of the men were declared dead at the scene of the collision.

Police are calling for any witnesses to the crash to come forward.

Superintendent Esyr Jones of South Wales Police said: “Our thoughts are with everyone affected by this tragic incident."Trained family liaison officers are supporting the families at what must be an extremely difficult time for them."

Local MP Alex Davies-Jones said the men's deaths were "utterly devastating".

She added: "All of my thoughts are with the families & loved ones affected by this tragedy.

"Thank you to all the emergency services, first responders and members of the public who tried to help last night."Please be aware that the road is still closed whilst the investigation is ongoing. My office is doing all we can to support efforts locally."

A Welsh Ambulance spokesperson said: "We sent seven emergency ambulances, two operational managers and our Hazardous Area Response Team to the scene.

"We were supported by pre-hospital immediate care specialists from MEDSERVE Wales, and advanced critical care support was delivered by the Emergency Medical Retrieval and Transfer Service in a Wales Air Ambulance charity car."

Wales’ first minister, Mark Drakeford, offered his condolences in a statement online.

He wrote: “My thoughts are with the families and friends of those involved in this tragic incident in Coedely, and diolch o galon (heartfelt thanks) to all first responders working at the scene.”