"Prepared for Funeral, but Found Alive"... Identities of Two Switched After Three Weeks

22 Days Passed with Switched Identities After Traffic Accident
One Family Prepared a Funeral, the Other Prayed for Recovery

A tragic incident occurred in the United Kingdom in which the identities of two teenage boys were mistakenly switched during the aftermath of a traffic accident, leading to confusion over their survival status.

The British media outlets Daily Mail and Mirror recently reported on this case, which stemmed from an accident that took place in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, in the early morning of December 13 last year.

Trevor Winn (right), who was in a coma, and the deceased Joshua Johnson. Screenshot from social networking service (SNS)

At the time, 17-year-old Summer Louise Scott, who was driving the vehicle, died at the scene. Of the two teenage passengers, one was pronounced dead, while the other was in critical condition and transported to the hospital.

However, immediately after the accident, police and medical staff mistakenly identified the comatose patient as 18-year-old Joshua Johnson and the deceased teenager as 17-year-old Trevor Winn. The error was attributed to the fact that both boys had suffered severe facial injuries, making visual identification difficult, and they also shared similar physical characteristics.

As a result of this mistake, Trevor Winn's family was informed that their son had died and proceeded with body identification and funeral preparations for about three weeks. Meanwhile, Joshua Johnson's family kept vigil at the hospital, believing the patient in intensive care was their son.

The error was only uncovered 22 days after the accident, on January 5 of this year. When the patient awoke from his coma, he asked the medical staff, "Why are you calling me Joshua?" prompting a re-examination of his identity. It was then confirmed that the patient was in fact Winn, and that Johnson, who had been classified as the survivor, had actually died at the scene of the accident.

South Yorkshire Police immediately notified both families. Winn's mother visited the hospital and confirmed her son's survival in person, while Johnson's family had to come to terms with his death belatedly. Currently, Winn is undergoing recovery treatment in the hospital, and Johnson's family has begun fundraising for funeral expenses.

South Yorkshire Police acknowledged negligence in the identification process and voluntarily reported the incident to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC). The police stated, "We are acutely aware of the additional emotional trauma this has caused the families," and promised to implement measures to prevent a recurrence.