North Yorkshire PoliceAn off-duty police officer has died after she was struck by a lorry while helping at the scene of an earlier crash.
PC Rosie Prior, 45, had stopped to help Ryan Welford, 41, from Knaresborough, and was standing on the verge of the A19 at Bagby in North Yorkshire, when they were hit by a lorry at 08:55 GMT on Saturday.
They died at the scene. A teenage boy who was a passenger in Mr Welford’s car is in a serious but stable condition in hospital.
A 65-year-old lorry driver from Berwick-upon-Tweed, Northumberland, was arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving and has been released under investigation.
Paying tribute to PC Prior, North Yorkshire Police Chief Constable Tim Forber said she “epitomises the very best of British policing”.
North Yorkshire PoliceMs Prior joined the force as a student officer in May 2022.
Her family described her as “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.
Ms Prior had joined North Yorkshire Police more than two years ago because “she wanted to help people,” Mr Forber said.
“Rosie epitomises the very best of British policing, she put the safety of others before her own safety,” he said.
“Yesterday morning, she wasn’t on duty on a shift, she was off duty, and she came across the road traffic collision on the A19 and she stopped to help.
“She got out and like many police officers up and down the country put herself on duty.”
He said his thoughts were with the family of Mr Welford and that it was a “deeply traumatic and heart-breaking event for everyone involved”.
Home Secretary, Yvette Cooper, said the deaths of Ms Prior and Mr Welford were a “profound tragedy”.
“This brave officer’s passing serves as a reminder of the risks that our dedicated police officers face every single day in the line of duty,” she said.
North Yorkshire PoliceThe Bishop of Kirkstall, the Right Reverend Arun Arora, paid tribute to Ms Prior and Mr Welford, saying their friends and families were in his thoughts.
He told BBC Radio York: “They will be in our prayers and our condolences to them at this time.”
The Mayor of York and North Yorkshire and deputy mayor of policing, fire and crime said they were “devastated” by the deaths of Ms Prior and Mr Welford.
David Skaith, Mayor of York and North Yorkshire, and Jo Coles, deputy mayor, said in a joint statement: “Our hearts are broken for them and their families.
“Rosie’s commitment to serving the public, even when off duty, shows she was the very best of us.”
Tiff Lynch, Police Federation acting national chair, said the organisation was assisting North Yorkshire Police Federation in “offering every possible support to PC Prior’s loved ones”.
“It is with immense grief and sorrow that the Police Federation of England and Wales offers its deepest condolences to the family, friends and colleagues of the two people, including PC Rosie Prior, who were killed in a tragic collision on A19,” she said.
North Yorkshire Police issued an appeal for witnesses and urged motorists with dashcam footage to get in touch.
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