Three killed in horror smash

TRAGEDY... the mangled car came to rest on its roof

Girl, 7, among dead
THREE members of the same family, including a seven-year-old girl, have died after their people carrier overturned in a horror crash.

The tragic events unfolded on Saturday as the vehicle, carrying six people, careered off the road, mounted a roundabout and was propelled into the air on Broadgate, just outside Chadderton Police Station.

Nose-diving into the grass, the black Cadillac SRX4 flipped on to its roof before grinding to a halt in Gateway Crescent.

Police, fire crews and ambulances raced to the scene at around 4.20pm, where a female passenger and young girl were pronounced dead.

A man, believed to be the elderly father of the male driver, also died.

The driver and a female passenger managed to scramble free from the mangled wreck and were taken by ambulance to North Manchester General Hospital.

Fire crews had to cut a trapped elderly woman free amid the chaotic scene. She was then airlifted to Wythenshawe Hospital. It’s understood that all six people in the car were members of the same family.

A fire service spokesman said: “Being a roundabout and a busy area there was a lot of traffic chaos but fire crews and police quickly worked to cordon-off the scene.

“The vehicle itself was quite severely damaged and it was quite a widespread and chaotic scene. Nobody wants a situation like this, it’s very upsetting but those involved in the rescue were true professionals and they worked quickly to prioritise those that could be assisted.”

The car had left the M60 at junction 21 from the clockwise carriageway when it crashed through the roundabout shrubbery.

The Chronicle understands the vehicle had been modified for a disabled driver and police are now looking into whether this was a cause of the crash as part of the ongoing investigation.

The slip road and all of Broadgate was closed as police and fire crews dealt with the scene.

Becky Williams, who works at the near-by Subway sandwich shop on Broadway, said: “There were police absolutely everywhere and helicopters were going up and down.

“We didn’t know what was going on as traffic built-up on Broadway.”

Police are now appealing for anyone who witnessed the incident, particularly people travelling in the clockwise carriageway of the M60.

Anyone with information should call traffic officers on 0161-856-8802.