Families pay tribute to women who died after crash

The families of two women who were both fatally injured in a road crash have paid tribute to them.

Letitia Cuney, 53, and Cheryl Pierre, 47, both from Northamptonshire, died in hospital after a two-car collision on the A10 in Cambridgeshire.

Cuney, a teacher, was described as "a true legend" and a "force to be reckoned with".

Pierre's family said she was "completely selfless" and had left "an unfillable gap" in their lives.

Cambridgeshire Police was called to the A10 near Chittering at about 16:45 GMT on 28 December after a collision between a silver BMW and a white Nissan Qashqai.

Cuney, who was driving the Nissan, died at Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge on 30 December. Pierre, the passenger, died on 1 January, also at Addenbrooke's.

A tribute issued through the police said Cuney had grown up in America in a military family before moving to England.

"This move was driven by the more relaxed laws around same-sex relationships, allowing her and her family to live openly and safely," it said.

She lived in Ecton, near Northampton, and had worked as a teacher across Essex and Northamptonshire.

She was described as a "legend" and the "funniest teacher" by her pupils.

For 10 years she had been a "devoted" member of the community choir Northants Sings Out.

"To everyone who met Letitia, she was a force to be reckoned with - an energetic, powerful presence and a genuinely kind-hearted individual," her family said.

"She will be sorely missed as a mother, sister, daughter, teacher, colleague, and friend to many."

The family of Pierre, who was from Northampton, said she had a "massive heart" and "always saw the best in everyone".

They said she loved to express herself through her "amazing, colourful fashion" and "brought joy wherever she went".

She attended a dementia choir group, which she "cared deeply about".

"She had recently become a grandmother and absolutely adored her grandchild, whom she loved and spoiled endlessly," the tribute said.

It added she would be remembered for her "grace, strength, and positive energy".

The driver of the BMW, a 54-year-old man from Haddenham, Cambridgeshire, was arrested on suspicion of causing serious injury by dangerous driving, drug driving, and possession of class A drugs.

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