A heartbroken community has rallied round to raise thousands of pounds through a fundraising page set up to support a 15-year-old girl who lost three members of her family in a horror crash.
On Sunday (September 3), three members of a Ukrainian family who were travelling in a Vauxhall Meriva died after their car was involved in a crash with another car and a bus on the A61 between South Stainley and Ripley, near Ripon.
Daria Bartienieva, 35, her son, Ihor Bartieniev, six, and Daria’s stepdaughter, Anastasiia Bartienieva, 15, all died in the collision, which happened at 2.20pm.
Read more: Police name Ukrainian family killed in A61 crash near Ripon
After the tragic events of Sunday, a fundraising page for the surviving daughter of the family, who also lost her father in February of this year, has been set up, with the community raising £15,000 in just two days.
Donna Chilcott, who set up the fundraiser, is friends with the woman who is now looking after the 15-year-old orphaned by the crash.
She now hopes that the money will go towards building a future for the 15-year-old, who will be sitting her GCSEs this year, whether she moves back to Ukraine or goes to college and university in the UK.
"Everyone is absolutely heartbroken at the situation of having a girl with no family in the UK. If we can raise as much money as we can to cover the costs that she might have in the future.
"Parents would normally save and cover the costs of colleges and universities for their children, so I hope this money can go into a trust fund and help her in the future.
"Whether she stays in the country or gets a life elsewhere, we are here to support her."
You can donate here.
Alongside the online fundraising page, The Black Swan pub in Ripon has a collection bucket on its bar and will be running a fundraising event on Saturday (September 9) from 2.30pm.
An outpouring of emotion has been seen in a floral tribute left at the scene of the collision on the A61, while Holy Trinity Church in the city has dedicated a space for people to light a candle and pay their respects to the three who died.
Investigations into the fatal collision remain ongoing, according to police, with officers from North Yorkshire Police asking for dashcam footage.
The police force also confirmed that the driver of the bus was taken to hospital with leg injuries, some of the bus passengers sustained minor injuries and were taken to hospital, and the two people in the other vehicle were not injured.
The Harrogate Bus Company, whose vehicle was involved in the collision, has paid tribute to those who died in the crash and has said that the company will comply with police enquiries.
Read next: Girl left with no family after crash on A61 near Ripon kills three
A spokesperson for the company said: "Our first thoughts are with those involved in this accident, particularly those who have sadly lost their lives.
"We can confirm that a bus on our route 36 was involved in a collision on the A61 Ripon to Harrogate road near the village of South Stainley on Sunday afternoon.
"Our bus driver and four customers travelling on the bus have received treatment in hospital for minor injuries and are now recovering at home.
"We are cooperating fully with North Yorkshire Police in their investigation into this tragic accident."
If you can help with the police investigation, email Julie.brown@northyorkshire.police.uk or call North Yorkshire Police on 101 and pass information for incident 12230166439.
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