Inquest opens into crash deaths of man and officer

PC Rosie Prior had stopped to help at a crash site on the A19 when she was struck by a lorry

An inquest has opened into the deaths of an off-duty police officer and a man she was helping when they were hit by a lorry in North Yorkshire.

PC Rosemary Jane Prior, from York, had stopped at the scene of a minor collision to assist driver Ryan Ashley Welford, 41, from Knaresborough, on 11 January.

While both standing on the verge of the A19 at Bagby, PC Prior, 45, and Mr Welford were struck by the HGV at 08:55 GMT.

At the inquest opening in Northallerton, senior coroner Jonathan Heath said the cause of death for both victims was blunt head injuries.

The inquest into both deaths has been suspended pending ongoing investigations by police.

Ryan Welford, from Knaresborough, also died at the scene on the A19 following the crash

PC Prior joined the force as a student officer in May 2022 and was described by Chief Constable Tim Forber to have "epitomised the very best of British policing".

Her family also said she was "a loving mum, wife, daughter, sister, aunty and will be deeply missed".

Mr Welford's family said he was a "hard-working and loving father, husband, son and brother".

"He will be greatly missed by his family and friends," they said.

Mr Welford's silver Audi had been involved in a collision with a black Ford Focus around 10 minutes before the fatal crash.

A teenage boy who had been travelling in Mr Welford's car was also struck and left with serious injuries.

The HGV driver, a 65-year-old man from Berwick-upon-Tweed, was arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving and later released under investigation.

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