Cocaine-fuelled driver using TikTok killed mother and daughter in horror crash on school run

A mother and daughter died in a fire when a van driver who had taken cocaine and was using TikTok smashed into their car on the school run.

Luke Flanagan was on the video app on his phone, which was on the dashboard of his Transit van, when it ploughed into the Peugeot 2008 as it sat in stationary traffic.

The crash ignited a fire and despite Flanagan's efforts, he was unable to get Emma van der Avoird or her daughter Khiana out of the blaze.

Ms van der Avoird, 55, and 16-year-old Khiana, whom she had been taking to school, died at the scene.

Flanagan, 28, suffered burns to his face that lasted more than two months as he tried to rescue them from the wreckage on the westbound A421 near Renhold in Bedfordshire on 1 November 2021.

Flanagan, of Little Paxton in Cambridgeshire, was jailed for five years and seven months at Luton Crown Court, having admitted causing death by dangerous driving. He was banned from driving for four years and nine months.

In a tribute issued shortly after their deaths, Mrs van der Avoird and her daughter were described as "vibrant, strong and forthright people", who were "as close as any mother and daughter could be".

"Emma was a devoted mother who had poured her heart and soul into caring for Khiana since the sudden death of their husband and father Ed [in 2011]," said their family.

“Khiana was at the start of her life and was a beautiful and talented girl.

Prosecutor Martin Mulgrew said the crash happened shortly before 8am on Monday 1 November 2021.

“The defendant was interacting with the TikTok app on his phone, which was in a cradle," he said, adding that a drug test showed Flanagan was more than twice over the legal limit for cocaine, which he had taken the previous Saturday night.

The crash happened about a mile past the Black Cat roundabout, where there was queuing traffic.

Dashcam footage showed Mrs Van Der Avoird, of Little Paxton, braking in her Peugeot but the van driven by Flanaghan - directly behind - did not brake or slow down.

It hit the rear of the car, sending it three or four feet in the air, the court was told.

Defending, Alistair MacDonald KC said Flanagan had no previous convictions or cautions, and had undergone counselling to deal with flashback and symptoms of PTSD.

He had carried out charitable and voluntary work, he added.

Judge Michael Simon said: “Almost immediately liquid could be seen flooding out from the offside of the Peugeot and within seconds the liquid ignited and the car burst into flames, with the conflagration extending to the defendant’s van as well.

“To his credit the defendant immediately got out of his van and made attempts to help the driver of the burning car, but the heat was so intense that there was nothing he or anyone else could do.”

The judge said: “Life is precious. The coming to an end of a life is always a matter of sadness.

"In this case that tragedy is magnified not only by the loss of two precious lives, but also by the personal circumstances of the deceased.

"They had themselves been bereaved of their father and husband with the sudden death of Mr Ed Van Der Avoird."

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