A community in North Yorkshire is in mourning after a 16-year-old girl was killed in a collision involving a minibus carrying teenagers. The victim has been named by police as Eleanor Hague, known to friends and family as Ellie.
Details of the Collision
The incident occurred on Monday, 2 December 2025, at approximately 12:28pm on Toulston Lane at its junction with Rudgate in Tadcaster. According to North Yorkshire Police, a white Mercedes Sprinter minibus, heading towards Sherburn, was in collision with a light-coloured Hyundai i10 car that entered Toulston Lane from Rudgate.
Ellie, a sixth-form student from Sherburn in Elmet who attended Tadcaster Grammar School, was pronounced dead at the scene. She was a passenger in the minibus, which was carrying nine passengers aged between 16 and 18 from the shared sixth form of Tadcaster Grammar School and Sherburn High School.
Injuries and Police Investigation
Another teenage girl sustained serious injuries in the crash and was taken to hospital by ambulance. Her injuries are not believed to be life-threatening. The other passengers and the male driver of the minibus were treated in hospital for minor injuries.
The driver of the Hyundai, a 40-year-old woman from Leeds, was arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving and causing serious injury by dangerous driving. She has since been released on conditional bail pending further enquiries. Police continue to appeal for witnesses or anyone with dashcam footage of the incident to come forward.
School's Heartfelt Tribute
In a statement released on social media on Tuesday, Tadcaster Grammar School described the event as an "unimaginable tragedy." The school expressed being "deeply saddened by the incident that occurred yesterday which involved the tragic loss of one of our students."
The statement continued, "Our heartfelt thoughts are with everyone affected by this unimaginable tragedy. We are totally committed to providing every member of our school community with unwavering support and empathy as we come together as one." The school confirmed it would be open with appropriate support available for students and staff.
The investigation into the precise circumstances of the fatal collision remains ongoing as authorities work to piece together the events that led to this devastating loss.
