“OUR SON IS NOT TO BLAME” — A66 CRASH FAMILY DEMANDS ANSWERS AS NEW DETAILS EMERGE ABOUT THE POLICE PURSUIT

The family of one of the five young men who died in the devastating A66 crash is demanding answers.

Their grief has now collided with a much bigger question:

Did the police pursuit play a role in what happened that night?

The claim has triggered fierce debate across the UK — especially because seven people died in a single collision.

Five young men were travelling in a Volkswagen Passat.

Two police officers were inside the other vehicle.

None of them survived.

THE QUESTION AT THE CENTER OF THE CONTROVERSY

The family of 23-year-old Jakub Matusiak, one of the five men in the Passat, has called for answers about the police pursuit that happened shortly before the crash.

Their concerns come as the Independent Office for Police Conduct continues examining the sequence of events.

According to the IOPC, officers had been pursuing the Passat for just under seven minutes after it was spotted by police.

The vehicle then entered the A66 travelling against the flow of traffic.

At that point, the pursuit was aborted.

But around 10 seconds later, the Passat collided head-on with another marked police vehicle.

That distinction is crucial.

The two officers who died — PC Matthew Blades, 37, and PC Tom Clough, 38 — were not involved in the original pursuit.

Their vehicle had been called to the area to assist officers searching for the Passat.

SEVEN PEOPLE NEVER MADE IT HOME

The crash claimed seven lives.

The five men in the Volkswagen were:

Michael Robert Cahill, 23
Jakub Matusiak, 23
Makai Saddington, 18
Theo Rae, 17
Cole Robert Worthy, 17

The two officers were PC Matthew Blades and PC Tom Clough.

For the families, there is no argument that can bring them back.

But there are still questions about what happened in the minutes before the impact.

THEN CAME THE NEW DETAILS

As investigators reconstructed the final moments, footage and other evidence began to paint a more complicated picture.

The IOPC obtained officers’ initial accounts, the incident log and in-car footage.

Doorbell footage from nearby Lime Road also appeared to show police vehicles travelling at speed several minutes before the fatal collision.

But investigators have not concluded that the police pursuit caused the crash.

And that distinction matters.

The Passat was travelling against the flow of traffic when it entered the A66, and the pursuit had already been abandoned before the fatal impact.

The IOPC investigation remains ongoing.

ONE FAMILY’S GRIEF — AND A COUNTRY’S QUESTIONS

The tragedy has now become about more than one family.

It has raised difficult questions about police pursuits, public safety and what officers should do when a vehicle refuses to stop.

At the same time, the families of the two officers are mourning men they described as devoted fathers, husbands, sons and friends.

PC Matthew Blades’ wife called him her “best friend” and a devoted father to their two young boys.

PC Tom Clough’s family described him as someone who was always ready to help others.

Seven people died that night.

And while some families are asking whether the pursuit could have ended differently, investigators still have to establish exactly what happened — without allowing grief, anger or public pressure to replace evidence.

The biggest question now is not simply who should be blamed.

It is this:

What happened during those final seven minutes — and could the tragedy have been prevented?

The IOPC investigation is expected to provide more answers.