A night of celebration for two inseparable couples ended in unimaginable horror in the early hours of a Sunday morning, leaving four families in mourning and a newlywed pair facing a future apart.
A Fateful Journey Home
Georgina and Tom Daniels, aged 28 and 29, had been enjoying a send-off with close friends in Bolton, Greater Manchester. Their friends were about to embark on a dream trip to Australia. After the celebrations, just after 12:45am on Sunday, January 11, 2026, the two couples booked a taxi for the short journey home.
Their driver was 54-year-old Masrob Ali, a father-of-four from Blackburn known for his pride in safe driving. Tragically, on the same roads was a high-powered Seat Leon, containing four young men. It is understood the car was being driven by 18-year-old mechanic Mohammed Jibrael Mukhtar, known as Jibril.
A Warning Ignored and a Catastrophic Impact
Chillingly, the night before the crash, a passenger had filmed the same Seat Leon reaching a terrifying 122mph through built-up streets, swerving past other traffic. The footage was uploaded to social media. Jibril's older brother, Miraj Mukhtar, had even sent him a final warning message, stating that driving at 180mph would leave him "dead & in pieces."
CCTV footage captured the appalling moment the Seat, apparently on the wrong side of the 30mph road, smashed head-on into Mr Ali's Citroen Picasso. The impact was catastrophic. Mr Ali, Jibril, and his two passengers—Farhan Patel, 18, and Mohammed Danyaal, 19—all suffered fatal injuries.
After an agonising rescue operation, Georgina, Tom, and their two friends were cut from the wreckage. One teenager from the Seat survived with minor injuries.
Life-Altering Injuries and a Cruel Separation
Speaking from her hospital bed, NHS manager Georgina Daniels described the shock of survival. "I can't fathom how we're all still alive – it should have taken our lives," she said. The couple, who had been together for ten years and married for just seven months, now face rebuilding their lives separately due to the severity of their injuries.
Both require 24-hour care. Georgina has significant injuries needing constant attention, while Tom has major mobility issues. "It's cruel. There are no words to describe it," Mrs Daniels said, highlighting the mental anguish which she described as "100 times worse" than the physical pain.
A GoFundMe appeal set up by a friend has already raised over £45,000 to support the two couples, who are unable to work.
A Community's Anger and a Brother's Apology
The tragedy has ignited a fierce debate over dangerous driving and a perceived lack of speed cameras in the area. Locals reported they were not surprised by the devastating crash.
Jibril's brother, Miraj Mukhtar, publicly apologised, saying he had repeatedly advised his brother to slow down. "You don't know how much I told him... don't do those speeds," he said in a TikTok video, acknowledging his brother had made "a huge mistake."
Meanwhile, Mr Ali's family are clinging to the belief he was not at fault. His daughter, Humayra Ali, 29, described him as "the kindest man" and a "safe driver."
Mrs Daniels issued a direct warning to those who treat roads as racetracks: "When people drive like that, it's done for attention and status... It just needs to be that it doesn't happen."
Greater Manchester Police are investigating the incident, and Bolton Council has pledged to take "all necessary measures" to prevent future tragedies. For Tom and Georgina Daniels, the focus is now on an hour-by-hour existence, clinging to the hope of one day returning to the happiness captured in their wedding photos.
