Video shows 'idiotic' driver reach speeds of 118mph before fatal crash kills pensioner in Rochdale
Along with footage of the speeding car moments before the crash, Amanda and Max spoke out about the crash and the effects it has had on their family. (Credit: MEN Media)
Footage has been released of a driver reaching speeds of 118mph moments before crashing and killing an 82-year-old woman and injuring her grandchildren.
Trent Simm, 25, was speeding along Halifax Road in Rochdale on Friday 13 May 2022 when he lost control of his Audi S3 on a bend and smashed into a Kia travelling in the opposite direction.
Doris Bridgehouse, a retired nurse from Rochdale, was the driver killed in the crash.
She was on her way home from The University of Salford where she had been attending her grandson's graduation showcase. He was also travelling in the car along with his mum Amanda.
Passengers Amanda, 56, and Max, 22, were both seriously injured in the crash.
Max was left with injuries from his seatbelt and suffered internal bleeding, while Amanda was left unconscious for weeks.
Simm, of Edenfield Road, Rochdale, was jailed for seven years and four months for causing death by dangerous driving and two counts of causing serious injury.
The 25-year-old was also disqualified from driving for five years.
After his sentencing, Greater Manchester Police released CCTV footage showing Simm speeding down Halifax Road at nearly four times the 30mph speed limit.
In the footage, Doris' Kia can also be seen driving along the same road before the headlights of Simm's Audi appears as he speeds round the bend.
CCTV evidence shows the Kia was travelling at an average speed of 27 mph.
Moments after the crash happened, Max woke up in the back seat to see his mother and grandmother unconscious in the front.
He forced his way out of the wreckage and pulled his mother out of the front seat.
Amanda said: "Despite that some people say you shouldn't necessarily open doors at accidents...actually I think he saved my life."
Max said: "I remember getting out of the car and seeing people starting to flood onto the street. The emergency services arrived, and I remember feeling totally helpless and had no idea what to do. It was horrifying.
"It's just not fair that he has done this to people driving at the speed limit.
"That night has left a big void in our lives and irreparable damage, and he deserves the time that he's going to have to spend in prison."
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