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DEVASTATING WAIT

Newport families wait for answers from crash survivors who remain critical as mum says only they know what happened

FAMILIES of the Gwent crash victims are waiting to learn what exactly happened from its two survivors who remain in a critical condition.

Eve Smith, 21, Darcy Ross, 21 and Rafel Jeanne, 24, died in the horror crash.

Sophie Russon survived the horror crash and is in a critcial condition
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Sophie Russon survived the horror crash and is in a critcial conditionCredit: Facebook
Shane Loughlin is also battling serious injuries in hospital
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Shane Loughlin is also battling serious injuries in hospitalCredit: Media Wales
Floral tributes left near the scene in the St Mellons area of Cardiff
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Floral tributes left near the scene in the St Mellons area of CardiffCredit: PA

Meanwhile, Sophie Russon, 20, and Shane Loughlin, 32, are seriously injured in hospital.

The group had been enjoying a night out and were spotted at the Muffler nightclub in Newport, Wales before they vanished.

It took cops 48 hours to find the five pals who had been involved in a major car crash.

Police today said that “investigations are ongoing to determine the circumstances of the incident, including when the collision took place”.

MORE ON GWENT CRASH

But Sophie’s mum, Anna Cerowicz, has said that her daughter and Shane will be the only ones who can say exactly what happened.

Sophie was drifting in and out of consciousness with a bleed on the brain, laying beside her three dead pals, during the 48 hours after they disapeared

Anna told : “She was lying there wondering if help would ever arrive.

“She must have thought she was going to die. She was calling out at times but no one could hear her.

“It would have got light and then dark as night fell on Saturday, then she had to go through that again until she was found.” 

She added that the only people who knew what happened were her daughter and Shane.

It comes after Anna slammed the force for how they handled the search for her daughter and her friends.

The mum made her first call to Gwent Police on Saturday lunchtime after Sophie failed to come home.

She made 10 calls that day but police kept telling her not to worry and that she was probably out partying.

She explained: "They didn't seem to care. I had to drive to Cardiff to knock on doors myself because they were doing sod all. 

“They just didn't seem to think it was worth investigating. It was so frustrating.

"I think they assumed that Sophie was hungover somewhere, but she's a sensible girl who works in a bank and hasn't taken a day off for three years... She wouldn't just vanish like this unless something was wrong."

Anna made a further 10 calls on Sunday and she claims the police told her to stop ringing.

Gwent Police suddenly escalated the inquiry later that day and a helicopter was launched to search the area.


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By that time more than 200 people were out looking for the five friends.

By midnight on Sunday a woman searching with her dog discovered the car and alerted police.

Anna says while she was searching for her daughter — unaware she was trapped in the wreckage of a fatal car crash — she drove past the scene three times.

She said: “I drove past three times.

“Sophie was 20 yards away lying there scared, next to her friends who were dead.

“But I didn’t see her because of the trees and there was a dip.

“She was lying there wondering if help would ever arrive.

“She must have thought she was going to die.

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“She was calling out at times but no one could hear her.

“It would have got light and then dark as night fell on Saturday, then she had to go through that again until she was found.”

Darcy Ross was killed in the smash in Newport, Wales
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Darcy Ross was killed in the smash in Newport, WalesCredit: Facebook
Rafel Jeanne-Actie was also a victim
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Rafel Jeanne-Actie was also a victimCredit: WNS
Eve Smith also tragically died
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Eve Smith also tragically diedCredit: Athena
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