A married couple from Bolton have described the 'unbearable' pain and 'cruel' life-altering injuries they suffered after miraculously surviving a horrific taxi crash that claimed four lives.
A Night of Celebration Turns to Tragedy
At around 12.45am on Sunday, January 11, emergency services rushed to Wigan Road in Bolton following reports of a devastating head-on collision.
The crash involved a red Seat Leon and a Citroen C4 Picasso taxi. The taxi driver, 54-year-old Masrob Ali, and three teenagers in the Seat—18-year-olds Mohammed Jibrael Mukhtar and Farhan Patel, and 19-year-old Mohammed Danyaal—were all killed.
Georgina Daniels, 28, and her husband Tom were passengers in Mr Ali's taxi that night, returning from a farewell party for friends moving to Australia. Speaking from her hospital bed, Georgina told the Manchester Evening News she was in disbelief they survived. "I can't fathom how we're all still alive – it should have taken our lives," she said through tears.
'Our Lives Will Never Be the Same Again'
The couple, who tied the knot just seven months ago, are now facing a long and separate road to recovery with devastating injuries. Two other friends in the taxi, who do not wish to be identified, also survived with horrific injuries.
"The pain we've been in itself has been relentless, just unbearable," Georgina explained. "Our lives will never be the same again. We've got a long journey now of rehabilitation, and both of those journeys are very different."
She detailed the cruel twist their first year of marriage has taken: "Now it's our first year of marriage and we are going to have to live apart with life-changing injuries, with no end date." Georgina will need 24-hour care, while Tom has major mobility issues.
Between them, they have already undergone four surgeries. Georgina, an NHS manager, remembers every second of the collision, while Tom's memory is fragmented.
Call for Road Safety and a Moving Tribute
The crash is under investigation by Greater Manchester Police. A video, believed to have been filmed from inside the Seat Leon hours before the crash, appears to show a car travelling at high speeds, overtaking and on the wrong side of the road.
Georgina issued a plea for change: "There needs to be road safety realisations... This kind of danger can’t just be acceptable." She added that dangerous driving for 'attention and status' must be collectively rejected.
The couple also paid a moving tribute to their taxi driver, Masrob Ali, describing him as 'nothing but lovely' on their short journey. His daughter called him 'the gentlest soul'. The brother of Mohammed Jibrael Mukhtar, suspected to have been driving the Seat, has publicly apologised to Mr Ali's family, stating his brother was driving at around 90mph and made a 'huge, huge mistake'.
Friends have launched a fundraiser to support the four survivors with mounting costs for care and recovery, raising over £31,800 of a £40,000 target. For now, the Daniels and their friends remain in hospital, their futures uncertain. "We are trying to be positive and trying to get back to how we were," Georgina said. "That's the only thing we can look forward to."
