Two police officers have been honoured for their role in connection with a fatal traffic collision in Milton Keynes.
At Thames Valley Police Chief Constable John Campbell's latest awards ceremony, at Cotswold Hotel and Spa in Chipping Norton, two officers were honoured for their role in connection with a fatal traffic collision in Milton Keynes.
On 9th August 2021, Mary McCann, aged 35, was driving northbound on the M1 between junctions 14 and 15 when she drifted from lane two into lane one and collided with the back of a white Scania HGV.
PC Matt Diduca and PC Colin Riley were on night duty as the incident occurred and attended the scene.
Due to the tailback the incident had caused, PC Diduca made his way to the scene by foot. The officer was faced with two children that had suffered serious injuries which later proved to be fatal.
PC Diduca took control of the distraught mother, who had been driving the car, and began to complete the scene assessment under incredible duress and stress, before he was then joined by PC Riley.
Due to difficulty getting to the scene of the incident on that night, both officers had to deal with the complex motorway scene management for around 30 minutes until support arrived.
Sergeant Daniel Collett, of the Joint Roads Policing Unit, based at Milton Keynes police station, nominated the pair for the award and said: “This was an extremely upsetting and emotionally charged collision for all involved.
“The actions of both PC Diduca and PC Riley in dealing with the initial scene and grief stricken mother were of the highest standard.”
Mary McCann, aged 35, of Bamford Avenue, Derby, was sentenced to four years and one month in prison and banned from driving for seven years and two weeks for two counts of causing death by careless driving whilst under the influence of drink.
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