Police issue re-appeal for witnesses one week on from fatal collision on A14 near Kettering that killed 19-year-old

A re-appeal for witnesses has been issued by police one week on from a collision on the A14 near Kettering that killed a 19-year-old passenger.

Jacob Crawshaw from St Neots, Cambridgeshire died when the silver Volkswagen Crafter van he was travelling in was involved in a collision with a white Volvo articulated lorry between junction 11 for Cranford and junction 10 for Burton Latimer of the A14 westbound at around 4.50am on Sunday, October 17.

Traffic officers closed a 12-mile stretch of the road westbound between Thrapston and Kettering for around eight hours while the driver of the van was cut free and taken to hospital.

A 41-year-old man from St Neots was arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving after the collision, but has since been released under investigation while enquiries continue.

Officers are now continuing to appeal for anyone who saw the collision, or who has dash-cam footage of the collision or the circumstances leading up to it, to contact them.

Following the collision, Jacob's devastated family released a tribute to their 'precious son', confirming he had been at Millwall watching his 'beloved Luton Town' the day before he died.

The statement said: “We’ve lost a precious son, older brother, eldest grandson, nephew and very special friend to many.

“Jacob’s world revolved around his family and friends, his love of sports, in particular football, including refereeing, rugby, basketball, handball, a little bit of cricket, gym, and more recently golf and work.

“His friendship group included friends from school, football and rugby teams, church and latterly, work. He was known for his love of the Golden Arches both for work and eating, his Adidas Gazelles, a pint of cider and working hard and playing hard, as well as more recently his new job which he loved with a passion. He didn’t stop talking about it and proudly showed photos to his family.

“Jacob was also a keen musician, he loved listened to and playing music, playing the guitar and drums, but still needed to work on his singing and dance moves! Lockdown confirmed his passion for playing the PS5 and his last days were spent at football watching his beloved Luton Town FC at Millwall with his friends.

“He lived his life to the fullest and touched the hearts of so many people. He’ll be missed more than words can possibly convey. We’re all very proud of him.

“We would like to thank everyone for their messages of condolences, we have seen them all but as you can imagine it’s very difficult to send individual replies. We thank you and want you to know that we appreciate it.”

Anyone with information about the collision is asked to call the Northamptonshire Police Drivewatch Hotline on 0800 174615 regarding incident 82 of October 17.