Mum and daughter burned to death after driver high on cocaine crashed into them while on TikTok

A mum and daughter burned to death on their way to school after a van driver high on cocaine crashed into them while he was using TikTok, a court has heard.

Luke Flanagan, 28, hit 55-year-old Emma van der Avoird’s Peugeot 2008 as she was taking her daughter Khiana, 16, to school at around 8am on 1 November 2021, before it burst into flames.

Mr Flanagan had not been paying attention to the road while driving his Ford Transit when Ms van der Avoird’s car slowed down in front of him near Renhold in Bedfordshire.

The 28-year-old suffered facial burns after trying to help the victims in the car, which had been pushed underneath a heavy good vehicle.

A drug driving test found he was three times the legal limit for cocaine and his phone data showed he had been using the social media app TikTok.

Mr Flanagan claimed he had not seen the Peugeot stop and said during a police interview that he had taken his focus away from the road when something had fallen to the floor of his van. He also said the mobile phone was on his dashboard being used to stream music.

In a victim impact statement read out at Luton Crown Court, a family member said losing Emma and Khiana was made worse “by the manner of their deaths” and that they died “so needlessly”.

They said: “My sister Emma and her daughter Khiana were inseparable as a pair. Emma was my older sister whom I grew up with. We always dropped into our old way of being when together and we chattered away whenever we met or spoke on the phone; time just running away.

“I really only ever had that type of relationship with Emma, and I cannot tell you just how hard it is not to have her or the chance to speak or see her again.

“The impact of Emma and Khiana’s deaths was made considerably worse by the manner of their deaths. They were just on their way to school like normal, stationary in traffic. I honestly will never come to terms with this or the fact their lives ended so needlessly.

“I understand Mr Flannagan did try to get them out and sustained burns himself and I thank him for that but that is nothing compared to the impact his actions have had on me and my wider family. I hope that he can find a way to live with what he has done because I know how hard it continues to be for me.”

Mr Flanagan pleaded guilty to two counts of causing death by dangerous driving and was sentenced to five years and seven months in prison on Monday (17 April), Bedfordshire Police said. He has also been disqualified from driving for four years and nine months.

Detective Sergeant Ben Heath from the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Serious Collision Investigation Unit, added: “First and foremost my thoughts are with Emma and Khiana’s family and their terrible loss.

“This was an extremely sad incident that could have been avoided had Flanagan been paying attention to the road. I can’t stress enough the importance of paying due care and attention when driving, especially at fast speeds.

“You are in charge of a powerful machine, so not being aware of what is happening around you can lead to potentially tragic consequences, which is sadly what happened in this case.”