Girl, 17, died after car suddenly broke down on M1 motorway

Elise Thomas was a passenger in a car that broke down on the M1 when she died

08:07, 28 Apr 2026

Elise Thomas, 17, sadly died as the result of the injuries she sustained in a collision

An "amazingly talented" teenage girl tragically died in a car crash ono her way to a gig. Elise Thomas, 17, was a passenger of a Ford Fiesta that was smashed into by another vehicle after it had suddenly broken down on the M1.

The front tyre of the Fiesta had frayed and flown off and minutes as Elise and her two friends waited for help, another car crashed into the back of the vehicle. The trio were on their way to watch pop band, The Vamps.

The car was spun to the side due to the impact of the smash.

Elise suffered life-threatening injuries and one of her friends was seriously injured, Hull Live reports.[1]

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Details of the incident were revealed during a trial at Hull Crown Court where the driver of the other car was accused of causing the death of Elise by careless driving and causing serious injury to the other passenger by careless driving on August 12, 2023.

Jeremy Barton[3], prosecuting, said that, at about 8.15am, the driver left her Dewsbury home with her friends to drive to Doncaster to see The Vamps - "a band they all liked and followed". They were in a maroon or red Ford Fiesta.

Elise was the front seat passenger and the other passenger was sitting behind her in the rear nearside seat. They joined the M1 at Junction 40, where there were four running lanes at that point.

The car was overtaking a lorry and was about halfway alongside it when the Fiesta "began to make a rumbling sound" and the front offside tyre became detached from the rim or wheel. "Pieces of the tyre started to come apart," said Mr Barton.

"The remainder of the tyre began to bounce in front of the Fiesta." The driver stopped the car in lane three and tried to decide what to do about the car being in the main carriageway.

"Traffic was still passing by at motorway speed," said Mr Barton.

The drivers of 16 vehicles managed to see and drive around the stopped car, just before the southbound Junction 39, in the Wakefield area.

But, about 29 seconds after the Fiesta stopped, a silver Vauxhall Corsa, that had just overtaken another vehicle and moved back into lane three, crashed into the back of the broken-down Fiesta. It was not said to be speeding but it did not slow down or show signs of braking and "drove directly into the rear of the car".

The prosecution claimed that the driver could not have been looking where he was going ahead of him. The Fiesta containing the three friends was spun into lanes one and two before coming to a halt.

The driver and the Corsa driver managed to get out.

Elise and the other passenger were trapped inside the car before being pulled out by other people, who stopped their cars and ran to help, and the fire service.

"Elise Thomas died in hospital, from the injuries that she suffered, at 11.45pm on August 18, 2023," said Mr Barton. The other passenger suffered life-changing injuries.

CCTV pictures showed part of the incident, including the Fiesta's front tyre starting to fray and it rolling in the road before stopping. The defence claimed the Corsa driver might have suffered, at the time of the incident, from a phenomenon called "looming".

This meant he could have struggled to see how quickly things were approaching him - or how quickly he was approaching them.

It might mean the driver did not see the obstruction ahead until he was very close to it.

He told police he thought the lane ahead of him was clear but CCTV pictures showed that it was not. "He did not see the vehicle at all - for whatever reason, we cannot say," said Mr Barton.

The trial against the driver, 51, of Leeds, was stopped part way through the case. He was cleared of the charges on the direction of the judge and the jury was discharged.

At the time of Elise's death, her family said in a statement: "Elise was a beautiful soul. She was an inspiration to others and was amazingly talented with her photography.

"Even at such a young age, she was successful.

Everything she touched turned to gold." She enjoyed crafts but her main hobby was wildlife photography.

References

1. ^ Hull Live reports. (www.hulldailymail.co.uk)
2. ^ Click here (www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk)
3. ^ Barton (www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk)