A close-knit community in Bolton has been left shattered after a devastating head-on collision claimed four lives, with locals warning that dangerous driving on the residential street is an ongoing tragedy waiting to happen.
A Community in Mourning After Fatal Collision
Masrob Ali, a 54-year-old taxi driver from Blackburn described by his family as having "the gentlest soul", died in the early hours of Sunday morning. His Citroen C4 Picasso taxi collided with a red Seat Leon on Wigan Road in Bolton, Greater Manchester.
The crash also claimed the lives of three teenagers: Mohammed Jibrael Mukhtar and Farhan Patel, both aged 18, and 19-year-old Mohammed Danyaal. Greater Manchester Police confirmed that five other passengers from both vehicles were injured and remained in hospital as of Monday.
'Accidents Happen Every Couple of Months'
In the wake of the tragedy, distressed residents have come forward to describe Wigan Road as a notorious accident blackspot. One long-term local, who has lived in the area for 25 years, stated that such serious incidents occur "every couple of months".
"The traffic problems are getting worse and worse," the resident said. "I've been complaining for the last four years. Some of my friends are taxi drivers — it could have been one of them killed, or it could have been one of my family. We need action to slow the traffic down."
Evidence of the road's perilous nature was visible just a few hundred yards from Sunday's crash site, where debris from a pre-Christmas collision with a wall remained. A wall near a school entrance was partially collapsed, a stark reminder of the recent danger.
Police Probe 122mph Social Media Video
Greater Manchester Police have launched an investigation into a shocking social media video that appears to show a car travelling at 122mph in the same area. The footage, reportedly filmed around 24 hours before the fatal crash, shows a vehicle weaving through traffic, overtaking dangerously, and veering into the oncoming lane.
This video has intensified calls for a crackdown on speeding and reckless driving. A mother living opposite the crash site highlighted the road's design as a key factor: "It's quite a long stretch of road which is quite wide with nothing to slow drivers down... If they don't sort something out, I fear more lives will be lost."
The daughter of victim Masrob Ali, 29-year-old Humayra, told the BBC her family was "absolutely devastated" and in a state of shock. "He was just a really good man," she said. "Anyone who has known him would say he's a kind man, very generous, has a big heart. He was very hard-working right until his last breath."
The community's grief is now coupled with a desperate plea for authorities to implement immediate traffic-calming measures on Wigan Road, hoping to prevent another such heartbreaking loss of life.
