Police tell wrong family their son had died in horrific mishap

Trevor Wynn's family, meanwhile, were told their 17-year-old boy had died.

Both teenagers sustained severe injuries in a car crash, and their similar appearances meant nobody noticed the mix-up until Trevor came around.

The grave mistake only came to light on Sunday when the survivor regained consciousness and told medical staff: "I'm Trevor."

New forensic tests confirmed on Tuesday that the body had been wrongly identified following the collision.

The crash occurred on December 13 when a Toyota left the road and hit a tree between Dinnington and Todwick, near Rotherham.

Two teenagers died at the scene, including Joshua and a 17-year-old girl.

A third teenager was taken to hospital in a critical condition.

Sources told the Mail that the serious nature of the surviving boy's injuries prevented anyone from recognising he was not Joshua.

The two boys, with Trevor known as TJ, are said to have looked alike.

Trevor's family had been preparing for his funeral later this week before learning he was alive.

South Yorkshire's Assistant Chief Constable Colin McFarlane said: "This has obviously come as a huge shock to everyone and we recognise the additional trauma this may cause."

He added: "I have also offered to meet with both sets of parents as I am sure they will have many questions, most of which we are not able to answer yet but we are absolutely committed to understanding how this happened so it cannot happen again."

The force has referred itself to the Independent Office for Police Conduct to examine the identification procedures used after the collision.

ACC McFarlane pledged his full cooperation with any subsequent investigation.

An 18-year-old was arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving following the incident.

A 19-year-old was also detained on suspicion of perverting the course of justice.

Both individuals remain on bail while enquiries continue.

Before the error was discovered, friends of Trevor launched an online fundraiser to help his family cover funeral costs.

The fundraiser page described TJ as "the most caring lad with a soft soul" who "always put others first and loved nothing more than making people smile."

The force confirmed that specialist officers and additional support services are being provided to the families and the surviving victim.