A woman died after being hit by a speeding car which lost control on the M60 minutes after she had pulled over to check on a driver who had crashed, a trial has heard.
Rachel Gwynne, 38, became 'sandwiched' between two cars and had to have one of her legs amputated. She died weeks later after suffering a blood clot.
She had been driving a Citroen Dispatch van and pulled over between junction 23 of the M60 clockwise at Ashton-under-Lyne and junction 24 at Denton. She had witnessed David Wigmore's Ford Fiesta which 'aquaplaned' across all four lanes of the motorway, smash into the crash barrier by the hard shoulder.
Speeding driver lost control
Wigmore, then 30, had been driving 'too fast' and in excess of the 70mph speed limit, Minshull Street Crown Court heard. Ms Gwynne and her two passengers had got out to check on Wigmore, who was not hurt but 'shaken up'.
Ms Gwynne, who was using the van to move home, was then hit by a BMW which was also speeding and lost control. The car was driven by Ahmed Qasim, 39, who had been driving to Manchester Airport to pick up his wife.
Ms Gwynne was airlifted to the Manchester Royal Infirmary and spent three weeks in hospital, before collapsing at home. Qasim has admitted causing death by careless driving and is standing trial after denying causing death by dangerous driving.
Fatal collision details
Prosecuting, Rob Hall said that the fatal collision occurred on a 'rainy' Easter Monday, April 1, 2024. Wigmore was driving in the fast lane between junction 23 and 24 in excess of the 70mph speed limit, jurors were told.
He lost control of his car and the Fiesta 'aquaplaned' over all four lanes of the motorway and collided into the crash barrier of the hard shoulder. Ms Gwynne was driving the Citroen shortly behind, and saw the collision. She decided to pull over and 'check on the wellbeing' of Wigmore, a stranger.
She parked the van past the scene of the crash. They spoke with Wigmore who was 'a bit shaken up but otherwise okay'. Two minutes later, Qasim was driving a BMW M5 on the fast lane of the motorway in excess of the speed limit.
Injuries and death
He also lost control and aquaplaned across the four lanes of the carriageway, hitting the Fiesta. Wigmore and Ms Gwynne's two passengers were able to get out of the way of the BMW, but Ms Gwynne became 'sandwiched' between the BMW and the Fiesta.
She suffered serious injuries and later had to have her left leg amputated above the knee. Ms Gwynne spent 18 days in hospital before being discharged and sent home under a care plan.
But on April 27 she collapsed at home and suffered a cardiac arrest. She died after suffering a blood clot. Jurors were told that Qasim accepts causing Ms Gwynne's death by careless driving, but denies his driving was dangerous.
Mr Hall said: "The Crown's case is that Mr Qasim was driving dangerously, and that that dangerous driving caused the collision. In law, dangerous driving is driving that falls far below the standards of a hypothetical competent and careful driver. Mr Qasim's case is that his driving was careless. In law, careless driving is driving that falls below the standard expected of a hypothetical competent and careful driver."
Qasim, of Westcliffe Road, Shipley, Bradford, denies causing death by dangerous driving. The trial is expected to conclude this week.
