Victim Stories

Victims of road traffic collisions share their 'stories' and experiences to help raise awareness of road safety and the impacts which serious incidents on the roads have on people.

Paula Allen - Marcus's Mum

In October 2021 Marcus Simmons-Allen was killed by a speeding vehicle whilst crossing the road with his friend. The driver failed to stop at the scene and was jailed after pleading guilty to causing death by dangerous driving, causing death whilst uninsured and unlicensed. He was was sentenced to six years and eight months, as well as being banned from driving for eight years.

Paula Allen said, "Marcus had a lifetime of dreams and ambitions ahead of him. He truly wanted to do something productive with his life and complete an engineering degree and follow a career in engineering. His fab sense of humour was as infectious as his smile".

Anne-Marie Hornsby - Colin's Mum

In 2018 Colin Hornsby from Droylsden lost his life. He was a passenger with his friend Will and three other lads. 

Colin and his friend got into a car for a lift that night and although the driver was not drinking or over the speed limit, he was driving too fast for the dark and wet conditions that night. The driver lost control due to his inexperience and being unfamiliar with the roads. The Car spun and an oncoming car hit them side on. That night Colin and two other people including the driver lost their lives. Colin's side took the full force of the crash.

Mike Peters - Vicky's Dad

In 2002 Vicky Peters from Lancashire lost her life due to speeding at 18-years-old. Vicky was a passenger in a car being driven by her boyfriend's friend, and her dad Mike has shared their family’s story in a bid to help save others from going through what they have.

Mike Peters

"Vicky was a beautiful talented girl. The last words she said to me were 'bye dad'. Ten minutes later she died as I held her in the crumpled wreck of a car driven by the friend of her boyfriend.

• "That young man drove too fast, lost control and hit another car. That ten minutes will remain with me as long as Vicky’s memory will.
• "There is not a day goes by that I don’t think of it and what might have been different. It killed Vicky and changed everything in a moment.
• "Life has never been the same nor will it be ever again. A life full of potential and opportunity was taken in a moment.
• "There are now only memories and photos recall the brightest smile and huge heart that was Vicky."

Vicky Peters

Brooke Trotter - Pedestrian (Victim)

"13 years ago I was a student at Manchester University. I was loving life as a student, especially the social life. But that all ended suddenly one night due to no fault of my own. I was walking home from a night out in Manchester when a speeding driver lost control of his car, mounted the pavement and hit me.

"My head smashed straight through the windscreen cracking a vertebrate in my neck, fracturing my skull, and breaking numerous bones. The driver drove off but thankfully someone called for an ambulance which took me to Salford Royal Hospital where they scanned my head to see the damage caused. I was diagnosed with a severe traumatic brain injury, I fell straight into a coma and I was put in a bed in the intensive care unit, they didn’t know when I would wake up, if I would wake up or what I would be like if I did.

"When I did wake up my brain was damaged. It’s in charge of everything you do, I couldn't think properly, balance, move or speak as well as I could before. I was a different person - things like my memory, my vision and my energy levels had changed.

"13 years on I’m still living with a hidden disability. I’m constantly tired, don’t like noise, and can’t concentrate for long. I’ve never got to finish my degree or follow the career in engineering I had planned.

"We since found out that there were two people in the car that hit me – both 18 years of age - the driver, who chose for whatever reason to speed, and his girlfriend who was drunk and was distracting him with photos on her phone.

"Driving is amazing – it brings you freedom, but it also carries huge responsibilities. Mistakes are easy to make and the consequences can’t be reversed."