Fundraiser for bus driver involved in fatal Harrogate crash

Two cars and a double-decker bus were involved in the incident on the A61

An appeal has been set up for the driver of a bus who was hurt in a crash in which a woman and two children died.

Daria Bartienieva, 35, Ihor Bartieniev, aged six, and Anastasiia Bartienieva, 15, were killed in the crash on the A61 near Harrogate on 3 September.

The driver of the bus suffered leg injuries in the incident, police said.

Fundraiser Katie Sills said more than £2,000 had been raised so far for the driver, who she wanted to help while he recovered physically and mentally.

The crash happened near the village of South Stainley at around 14:20 BST.

A floral tribute left at the scene on the A61 Ripon Road

Two cars had been travelling south towards Ripley, with the number 36 bus travelling in the opposite direction, officers said.

Two occupants of another car also involved in the crash were not injured, they added.

Ms Sills, who said it was "absolutely horrific" to hear about the crash, said: "I'd seen a fundraiser for the young girl that lost her family had been set up and I wondered about the other people involved in the crash and how they were feeling.

"I thought this poor man probably has a family and bills, mortgage or rent, so I took a leap and set up the fundraiser."

She told BBC Radio York the bus driver had since contacted her to express his gratitude and told her the reason he was working on a Sunday was so he could take his son to university the following week.

"So I wanted to do something which allowed him to recover physically and mentally without any financial stress," she said.

All three people who died in the incident were Ukrainian refugees living in Ripon after arriving in the UK in 2022, North Yorkshire Police said.

Fundraising efforts for Ms Bartienieva's daughter, who was not in the car at the time, have so far raised more than £35,000.