M4 Newport crash: Girl, 4, killed, and boy, 3, fights for life as van driver arrested

A 41-year-old man has been charged with causing death by dangerous driving

‘A kind, wonderful loving young soul’: Grace-Ann died in a crash on the M4 on Saturday (Family handout/PA)

A four-year old girl has died and a three-year old boy is fighting for his life in hospital following a crash on the M4 in Newport on Saturday.

Gracie-Ann Wheaton was returning home from a birthday party when the tragic accident happened.

Gwent police are appealing for information about the fatal collision, which involved a car and a van on the M4 westbound.

Officers have arrested 41-year-old Martin Newman, who was driving the van, and have charged him with causing death by dangerous driving and two charges of causing serious injury.

Tributes have now been paid to Grace-Ann after she died from her injuries at 5am on Sunday.

Her father, Joe Wheaton, posted a photo of his smiling four-year old daughter with the caption: “Daddy’s little angel. I miss you everyday, I can’t believe this has happened. Fly high my angel until we meet again.”

Her cousin, Jamie Lucas, described Gracie-Ann as a “kind, wonderful loving young soul, who had a bright future ahead of you”.

In a message on social media, he added: “It only felt like yesterday I visited you in a Grinch costume to help put a smile on your face for Christmas. I just can’t believe you’re really gone.”

Queues on the M4 after Saturday’s tragic crash (Traffic Wales)

Mr Lucas has launched a GoFundMe to help pay for the young girl’s funeral.

He wrote: “At around 2PM, Gracie-Ann and her family were involved in a serious car accident, which led to Gracie-Ann being rushed into intensive care due to the injuries she sustained.”

Gracie-Ann’s mother, Rhiannon, was also in the crash and is receiving medical treatment at hospital. Her step-father has since been discharged.

It is understood that a three-year-old boy is still in intensive care.

Uncle Darren Lucas, from Abergavenny, toldWales Online: “We are a very close family and we are all devastated and heartbroken. We just can’t take it in and have set up a fundraising page just to help the family out in some way.”

Emergency services, including two helicopters and three ambulances, attended the scene of the crash at just after 2pm on Saturday afternoon.

Welsh Ambulance Service said: “We were called at 1:41pm to reports of a road traffic accident on the westbound carriageway of the M4 near junction 28.

“We sent multiple resources to the scene, including a rapid response vehicle, three emergency ambulances, the Hazardous Area Response Team, the Emergency Medical Retrieval and Transfer Service and an air ambulance.”

Gwent Police said a man is due to appear before Newport Magistrates Court today.

They are appealing for anyone with dash-cam footage to come forward. They ask anyone with information to call 101 and quote 2200041245.