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Ripon church offers comfort after Ukrainian girl is orphaned by car crash in UK

07 September 2023

Holy Trinity Ripon

A book of condolence in Holy Trinity, Ripon

A book of condolence in Holy Trinity, Ripon

A CHURCH community is supporting a teenage refugee from Ukraine who was orphaned when her family died in a three-vehicle collision in Yorkshire.

The girl, Liza Bartienieva, aged 16, lost her mother, stepsister, and brother when the car that they were travelling in smashed head-on into a bus and then spun into another car, near Ripon, on Sunday. She was not with them at the time.

Soon after, Holy Trinity, Ripon, posted details of the crash on its Facebook page, and informed people that a space had been created in the nave “where people can sit quietly, light a candle and write in a Condolence Book”. A companion to pray with was also on hand.

The post read: “We have lost mother Dasha, daughter, Anastasiia (known as Staci) and Ihor. Dasha was 35 and had lost her husband in February this year. Staci had been in this country only five weeks and was just 15 in June. Ihor had his sixth birthday last month. Liza at 16 was not with them in the car and has now lost all her immediate family. Please pray for Liza at this terrible time and for her family abroad and friends as they support her.” Ihor attended Holy Trinity C of E Junior School.

The assistant curate of Holy Trinity, the Revd Michelle Lepine, told the Northern Echo: “We have seen an outpouring of emotions since the tragic incident, and wanted to offer a quiet space where people could reflect. We know that the family involved were known to numerous people in the community, and we have a memory book open to the public.

“Our thoughts here at Holy Trinity are with the young girl who lost family members, and all of those affected.”

A fund-raising webpage — gofundme.com/f/bn8xj-fundraising-for-lisa — doubled its £3000 target within 24 hours, and stood at more than £14,000 by Wednesday morning. It was started by Donna Chilcott, who said that her daughter went to school with Liza. “It’s heart-breaking,” she said. “She lost her dad in February, in Ukraine, and then lost the rest of her whole family in one car crash. As far as I’m aware, he also died in a car crash. She’s now being looked after by a family friend.”

North Yorkshire Police named the crash victims as Daria Bartienieva, 35; her son, Ihor Bartienieva, six; and her step-daughter, Anastasiia Bartienieva. The police appealed for dashcam footage of the collision, on a section of the A61 which is a notorious accident blackspot. A spokesman said that the bus driver suffered leg injuries, and some passengers had minor injuries, but all were released after hospital treatment. Two people in the second car were not injured.

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