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3 hours ago
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A police officer who was killed after being struck by a lorry while helping at the scene of another crash in North Yorkshire was “the very best of us”, local leaders have said.
PC Rosie Prior and a motorist, Ryan Welford, were standing on the verge of the A19 when they and a third person were struck by a heavy goods vehicle shortly before 9am on Saturday, police said.
Prior and Welford, 41, from Knaresborough, who had been involved in the first collision, both died at the scene.
A teenage boy who was a passenger in Welford’s car was also struck and remains in hospital in a serious but stable condition.
North Yorkshire police said the driver of the HGV, a 65-year-old man from Berwick-upon-Tweed, was arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving. He was released under investigation.
David Skaith, the mayor of York and North Yorkshire, and , the deputy mayor of policing, fire and crime, said their “hearts are broken” for the families of those killed.
They said in joint statement: “Rosie’s commitment to serving the public, even when off duty, shows she was the very best of us.
“Our thoughts are also with the entire North Yorkshire police family, who we know will be deeply mourning their colleague. We especially want to thank officers and staff who worked at the scene and are supporting those affected by this tragedy.
“This remains a live investigation, with a member of the public still in a serious condition in hospital. “We echo the chief constable’s request that these families are given privacy to grieve. We will remain in close contact with North Yorkshire police to offer them any and all support.”
The North Yorkshire police chief constable, Tim Forber, paid tribute to Prior, confirming her death with “profound sadness”.
“We are doing everything we can to support Rosie’s family, along with the family of a man who was also tragically killed in the incident,” he said. “This is clearly a deeply traumatic and heartbreaking event for everyone involved.”
The force said Prior joined North Yorkshire police as a student officer in May 2022. Her family said the “loving mum, wife, daughter, sister, aunty will be deeply missed”.
In a statement to North Yorkshire police, Welford’s family said: “Ryan was a hardworking and loving father, husband, son and brother. He will be greatly missed by his family and friends.”
The scene of the collision reopened at about 7.20pm on Saturday. Two cars and the lorry were removed and the surrounding roads cleared of debris. Police called for witnesses and motorists with relevant dashcam footage to come forward.
