‘Love you both so much’: Woman who survived horror Cardiff car crash that killed three speaks out for the first time
24 April 2023, 11:11
The survivor of a horrific car crash in Cardiff has spoken out for the first time in a brief but emotional tribute to her friends.
Sophie Russon, 20, and Shane Loughlin, 32, were the only two of five to survive a deadly car crash in Cardiff early last month.
The collision occurred on March 4, but it wasn’t until two days after the incident that the group of five were found, as police reportedly “fobbed off” family members who tried to report them missing.
Eve Smith, 21; Rafel Jeanne, 24; and Darcy Ross, 21; were all killed in the accident.
After a long and still ongoing recovery journey in hospital, Ms Russon shared a tribute to her friends for the first time over the weekend on social media.
Her post simply reads “love you both so much”, accompanied by a photo of her posing with Eve and Darcy.
Despite surviving the crash, the 20-year-old suffered serious injuries and has remained in hospital over the seven weeks.
She was found semi-conscious, with bruising on her brain and a build-up of fluid which took 14 hours of life-saving surgery to remove. She also had a broken arm and leg fractures, and remains in a back brace to ensure her bones heal correctly.
According to Sophie’s mum, Anna Certowicz, she left hospital for the first time last week to attend the funeral of Darcy Ross, one of her lifelong friends who lost her life in the crash.
The outing only lasted a few hours, but was of immense importance to Sophie, her mum told Wales Online: “I think it’s something she had to do. She survived and her two best friends didn’t.”
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Sophie's social media tribute comes after her mother, Anna, called out the police for their “appalling” handling of the case and failing to take action on the missing person reports they made at the time.
The group of five were returning home from a night out in Newport when they failed to return home. Family reported the group as missing, but were dismissed by police, Anna claims.
Eventually, friends and family took matters into their own hands by launching an independent search party – more than 200 people volunteered in the search.
Anna told The Mirror: “If they got there sooner, we don't know, but maybe they could have survived.
“The police did not do enough – it wasn't until people started posting on social media that they paid us any attention.
“They had calls from me, Sophie's dad and all the other families, but they were very blasé and said they're probably out partying.”
“I feel terrible for the families of Eve and Darcy, they were all best friends and had known each other since they were small.”
Assistant Chief Constable of South Wales Police, Jason Davies, said: “Our thoughts are with the families of all those affected by this tragic incident.
“Specialist officers are carrying out an investigation to piece together what has happened.
“Family liaison officers are supporting the families involved at what must be a hugely difficult time for them.
“To ensure independent oversight, South Wales Police has referred the matter to the Independent Office for Police Conduct, as is usual in these circumstances.”
