Overview

• Senior Coroner Jonathan Leach recorded a conclusion of road traffic collision for the deaths of Daria, Anastasiia and Ihor Bartienieva at the North Yorkshire and York Coroners Court.
• Police evidence said the Vauxhall crossed into the opposite carriageway near South Stainley after failing to negotiate a bend before striking a Route 36 double‑decker bus head‑on.
• CCTV from the bus showed about 1.7 seconds of sighting before impact, and a police sun‑angle calculation found direct sunlight down the road at just over 40 degrees with sun visors visible on approaching vehicles.
• The impact pushed the Vauxhall back into its lane, causing a secondary collision with a Toyota Aygo, and five people on the bus, including the driver, reported injuries.
• The family had fled Ukraine in 2022 and were heading to a hospital appointment in Harrogate; the surviving daughter was left orphaned, with the community later raising about £400,000 to support her.