Woman, 21, and son of footballer confirmed as victims of horror Cardiff smash as two others fight for life
6 March 2023, 05:19 | Updated: 6 March 2023, 15:46
- Eve Smith, 21, Darcy Ross, 21 and Rafel Jeanne, 24, died in the accident
- Sophie Russon, 20, and Shane Loughlin, 32, are seriously injured in hospital
- Group of five had been on a night out in Cardiff when their car came off the A48 and crashed
- Car lay in ditch until the early hours of Monday morning
Tributes have been paid to victims of a horror car crash in Wales that claimed the lives of three people and left two others seriously injured.
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Family and friends of Eve Smith said they were heartbroken after she died in the tragedy. Floral tributes at the scene of the crash in the St Mellons area of Cardiff bore the messages: "RIP Darcy and RIP Eve".
Eve, 21, was among five missing people after the night out in South Wales. Police found three dead and two seriously injured after discovering a car they travelled in had come off the road.
Officers launched a desperate search for the youngsters last seen at a nightclub in Newport on Friday night. Firefighters were seen earlier this morning carrying stretchers and cutting equipment towards the scene of the crash.
Eve and her family appeared in a Sky documentary 'This is Our Family' calling for tougher sentences for dangerous drivers - after her sister was killed by a drug driver in 2015.
Also in the car were Darcy Ross, 21, and Sophie Russon, 20, who went out clubbing at Muffler to mark the start of the weekend.
None of the group had been seen or heard from since 2am on Saturday morning.
Shane Loughlin and a fifth man, Rafel Jeanne-Actie, were also anong those missing.
It later emerged that Rafel, 24, was also among the dead. His dad Leon, 42, played as a winger for QPR and Cardiff City before moving around a host of other clubs and retiring in 2015.
Officers said on Monday morning they had found the VW Tiguan they were last seen travelling in.
Police said it was involved in a collision and came of the A48. CCTV of the car was shared by friends of the group.
The two survivors have been taken to hospital in a serious condition. The victims' families are being helped by specialist officers.
Eve's family said she was among the three who died.
"Just can't imagine the grief, thinking of loved ones, this is heartbreaking," said one Facebook user.
"So sorry for your loss thoughts and prayers are with you all as a family and all the familys of lost young lives," said another.
A third user said: "I'm so sorry. She was stunning inside and out."
Heartbreakingly, the family has also grieved the loss of her sister Xana.
She was killed eight years ago when she got a lift with a 23-year-old man, Sakhawat Ali, who was high on cocaine and cannabis and over the drink-drive limit.
His cousin Shabaz Ali, 21, was also on drugs. He grabbed the car's handbrake for a "joke".
Eve commented previously: "I never ever thought I’d have to say that or even think about it but it’s all I do.
"No one will understand the agony and heartache I feel when I hear her name or see her picture.
"It's so hard to understand or accept that she’s gone and I’m never going to be able to see her again.
"If my love alone could have saved her she never would have died."
Sophie's mother Anna Certowicz hit out at police for doing what she claimed amounted to "sod all", and said she believed they assumed she was "hungover somewhere".
The 42-year-old said she drove around Gwent and Cardiff to look for her daughter.
"They didn't seem to care. I had to drive to Cardiff to knock on doors myself because they were doing sod all. They just didn't seem to think it was worth investigating. It was so frustrating," she told the Mail.
"I think they assumed that Sophie was hungover somewhere, but she's a sensible girl who works in a bank and hasn't taken a day off for three years... She wouldn't just vanish like this unless something was wrong."
A spokesperson for Gwent Police said: "We understand how distressing it is when a loved one goes missing, we have seen the media reports about this and we will be liaising closely with the families involved to find out more information and address any concerns of this nature."
Gwent Police asked anyone with information about what happened to call 101 or message the force over social media using reference 2300071791.
Over the weekend, Refel's family confirmed via social media that he is among those missing.
Eve's car was still at the venue and her family was 'worried sick and thinking the worst', her sister said.
A relative of Shane's also confirmed that he was missing and said the family is working with police.
