A19 crash victim named as 27-year-old woman who worked at a primary school in York

Saskia Bets, from Easingwold, was taken to Hull Royal Infirmary after her Audi A1 collided with a Volvo bus on the A19 at Tollerton, between Shipton and Easingwold, at 7.20am.

She later died of her injuries and has been named by her employers, Ebor Academy Trust.

Saskia was the behaviour and wellbeing mentor at Hob Moor Oaks Academy in the Acomb area of York.

Ebor Academy Trust chief executive Gail Brown said: “I remember distinctly the first time I met Saskia.

“Her smile radiated the room and even from initial conversations you could tell she had a warm, empathetic and caring character which was perfect for her role.

“Her abilities, even from someone so young, were not only admired and respected within the Hob Moor Federation of Schools but also within the wider Ebor wellbeing team. Her colleagues and children at school will miss her dearly and I send my heartfelt condolences to her family at such a difficult time.”

Saskia started work at Hob Moor Oaks in November 2019.

The school's headteacher Olivia Hargreaves said: “Saskia was a bright, beautiful and hugely caring person and a valued and respected member of our closely-knit team. She brought unique skills to our school community, children and families and a great strength to our team, that at the moment we are still too shocked to understand how much we will miss.

“We loved to listen to her talk about her renovations; while we were resting up, Saskia would be tiling roofs and knocking walls out, following YouTube tutorials on how to renovate your home by hand.

“Saskia’s work was driven by her high energy, sense of fun and passion to understand children and what she could bring to enrich not only their learning but, most importantly, their wellbeing and happiness. She was hardworking, intelligent and the brightest spark in our office daily and gave her heart and soul to everything. Her care, love and desire to ensure children reach their potential was at the forefront of her mind every day.

“She generously shared her skills and knowledge with class teams across both our schools and, more recently, trust-wide. Her recent project had been to design, creative and deliver sensory stories for all the children with additional needs, who are currently shielding or remote learning. The joy and laughter from filming will never be forgotten by those involved. Another example of her generosity was the money she raised towards the children’s residential by making Christmas masks.

“Her discreet support, quiet strength and confidence empowered everyone around her, and for a person so young was an incredible gift. She came to school every day positive, smiling and ready for any challenge.

“She thrived in giving her best to all the children at Hob Moor Federation, she was a huge credit to her parents and Sam, her partner, and our hearts go out to her family and her loved ones.”

The bus was not carrying passengers at the time and the driver was not seriously hurt. Witnesses to the collision should contact North Yorkshire Police on 101 quoting incident number NYP-26022021-0049.

.”