A40 Crash Death Couple Named As Newlyweds


The baby they were expecting also died in Acton collision

Patrick and Shauna McDonagh
Patrick and Shauna McDonagh. Picture: Facebook

A teenage couple who were expecting their first child in April are now believed to be the man and woman killed on the A40 in Acton this Sunday (10 February).

Heavily pregnant 18-year-old Shauna McDonagh and her 19-year-old husband Patrick, who were married last year, crossed onto the wrong side of the carriageway at around 9pm near Kingsdown Avenue when they were being pursued by the police. Their car was hit by a coach and they both were pronounced dead at the scene. There have been no reports that their unborn child survived.

A second man who was in the car was taken to a major trauma centre and subsequently arrested on suspicion of aggravated burglary.

The high-speed chase began after police were called to a house in Pinner where three people said they had been threatened by four men who broke into their home. A man in his thirties said that he had been punched in the face and along with a man in his late sixties and a woman in her fifties, was threatened with a large hunting knife and a screwdriver by the men who demanded their valuables and said they would kill them if they didn’t comply.

Eye-witnesses report at least seven vehicles were involved in the chase and a helicopter from the National Police Air Service was also called to assist and flew over the area for about an hour.

It appears the car, which was travelling eastbound, attempted to cross to the westbound carriageway through a gap in the barrier.

There have been no reports of injuries of any others involved in the collision.

This Wednesday (13 February) officers from the North West Command Unit investigating the burglary arrested a man believed to be aged 19 in Harrow. He remains in custody.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct and the Metropolitan Police internal Directorate of Professional Standards have been informed as is normal for incidents of this nature.

February 13, 2019