THE MOTHER of a “larger than life” 18-year-old who was killed in a horror crash has described the tragedy of her daughter leaving behind siblings and a 16-month-old son.
Amber Deakin, 18, of Windhill in Shipley, was the passenger in a silver Vauxhall Vectra which flipped over and crashed on Baildon Road (B6151), near its junction with Pasture Road, at 11.47pm last night.
A witness said the vehicle came off the road and flipped into a position where it meant the car's roof hit a wall first.
Police said the vehicle failed to stop for them and was being pursued by officers at the time of the crash and a referral has been made to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC).
The collision provoked a major response from emergency services and a number of people were rushed to hospital.
West Yorkshire Police confirmed today an 18-year-old woman had died, with five others treated for injuries sustained in the crash.
Amber’s mum, Hayley Norton, 41, of Windhill in Shipley, said she was close with her daughter and they were more like best friends.
Ms Norton said: “She was always larger than life, full of life, really outgoing and a right character.
“She was really caring and had a big heart.”
She added: “She was larger than life, a great daughter and a really good mum - even though she was young, she was doing amazing.”
Junior – Amber’s son – is just 16 months old, while the young mum also leaves behind three siblings – younger brothers Blake and Bailey, and older sister Holly.
Ms Norton said Blake, 5, adored Amber, who will be really missed by him, while tragically Bailey celebrates his 15th birthday tomorrow.
She added: “She loved enjoying life with her friends when she had time off from the baby and she also loved spending every penny she had on him.
“Her dream was to be a good mum and she loved it.”
Ms Norton described the heart-wrenching and surreal moment she found out about the crash.
She said: “I got woken up at 2.30am-ish by the police asking if Amber lived here and then they said there had been a traffic collision and one fatality and they were 98 per cent sure it was Amber.
“I was shocked and I’m still like that now, I don’t think it will be real until I see her.”
Friends of Amber have been supporting Ms Norton since the tragic news emerged.
She said: “She had loads of friends, they have been sending me messages of support and lots of funny videos of her.”
Ms Norton has been left feeling upset though having seen comments and theories online about her daughter and urged people to wait for the full outcome of the police investigation.
She said: “A lot of people have a misconception of what happened.
“We don’t know exactly what happened yet.”
She added: “I feel a bit upset that people are saying it’s her own fault.
“I don’t think she would have got in the car if she had of known it would have taken her away from her son.”
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