Family learns daughter passed long-awaited exam 3 days after she died in crash

29 November 2023 , 22:20

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Lucy’s parents, twin sister, two older sisters and her partner have now paid tribute to her and released a photo via Northamptonshire Police (Image: Northamptonshire Police / SWNS)

The grieving family of a woman who died in a horror car crash on her way home from her "dream job" have paid tribute to their "cherished daughter."

Lucy Leahy, 23, died in a three-vehicle collision on the A509 between Bozeat and Wollaston, Northants., at around 6.30pm on November 24. The trainee chartered accountant was driving to her home in Irthlingborough, Northants., where she lived with her partner, when her car was hit head-on.

Police say a Ford Ranger pickup was travelling in the opposite direction to Lucy when the vehicle hit a Ford Mondeo going the same way. The pickup then ploughed into Lucy's Citroen leaving her with fatal injuries.

Lucy Leahy, aged 23, was driving home from her dream job in Milton Keynes (Northamptonshire Police / SWNS)

Three days after her death, it was confirmed Lucy had passed her final Chartered Accountancy exam, which she had studied five years to achieve. Her devastated family, including her twin sister and two older sisters, have told of their pain in a touching statement.

Her mum Claire Shakespeare said: "We are all devastated by this immense loss and kindly request privacy as we deeply mourn Lucy's untimely departure and try to cope with the passing of our cherished daughter, sister, and partner. Lucy was eagerly awaiting news that she had passed her final Chartered Accountancy exams.

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"This significant accomplishment was confirmed just three days after she died. We were enthusiastically anticipating celebrating this achievement, marking the end of Lucy's challenging five-year journey to become a Chartered Accountant."

Northamptonshire Police are appealing for witnesses to the fatal crash and anyone with dashcam footage of the moments leading up to the collision. Anyone with information can call the Drivewatch Hotline on 0800 174615 or police on 101 quoting incident number incident number 23000727871.

Adam Dutton