Tragedy hit the roads of Greater Manchester on Saturday night as a man and a teenage boy were killed in separate crashes just two-and-a-half hours apart.
Both heartbreaking fatalities are being investigated by a specialist police unit, its officers now working to give their loved ones the answers they will be desperately craving. Greater Manchester Police said officers were comforting their families tonight - and arrests have been made in both cases.
The boy - aged just 16 - was a passenger in a white Vauxhall Corsa that hit a lamppost in Tameside. The horror smash - in which two other youngsters are believed to have been injured, one seriously - was reported at around 8pm on Droylsden Road in the Audenshaw area.
Emergency services then scrambled to Hollinwood in Oldham - at around 11.30pm - after reports a man had been hit by a car near to the M60 motorway. It's understood he was walking on Oldham Road at the time.
Police said that despite the best attempts of officers and paramedics at the scene, the 37 year-old man, described as a pedestrian, was pronounced dead a short time later. "Specialist officers have been deployed to support his family at this devastating time," said police as an urgent appeal for witnesses was launched.
Greater Manchester Police's Serious Collision Investigation Unit, who are investigating both tragedies, are appealing to anyone who might have seen the collisions to come forward. They also want to hear from anyone with dash-cam, mobile phone or CCTV and doorbell footage.
Police said the teenager, who hasn't been named, was a passenger in the white Vauxhall Corsa when it hit a lamppost near the Metrolink line in Audenshaw. He, too, was pronounced dead a short time after the smash having suffered fatal injuries, Greater Manchester Police said. The driver of the car, a boy aged 18, was arrested at the scene.
He was also injured and remained in custody today - Sunday - after treatment, GMP added in a statement as an investigation got underway. The force hasn't said what he was arrested on suspicion of.
A Metrolink line runs along the road and it's understood the crash happened at the road's junction with North Road. The car is believed to have hit a lamp post which also carries Metrolink cables across Droylsden Road.
Police said two others 'suffered minor and serious injuries'. Their ages - and the extent of their injuries - haven't been confirmed by the force. It's understood the boy was cut free from the wreckage of the vehicle by firefighters.
Throughout much of Sunday, loved ones of the teenage victim showed up to pay their respects. Some laid flowers, while others tied balloons to street furniture. Residents living around the scene said crashes on the stretch of main road, which also serves as the Ashton Metrolink route, were not uncommon.
"There are always crashes here," one woman said. "There's bikes and cars involved." Another man living nearby added: "There was one (crash) with the tram, and one time a lad came off his motorbike."
"GMP's Serious Collision Investigation Unit (SCIU) are now appealing for anyone who may have seen the car, described as a white Vauxhall Corsa, and the collision in a busy area of Audenshaw during the evening to get in touch to help their investigation," said a spokesman.
"Officers are particularly keen to speak to anyone who may have footage, including dashcam, mobile phone or CCTV/doorbell footage from the area in the moments before the collision took place."
In Oldham, officers were called to Hollinwood, near Failsworth, at the junction with Mersey Road North, close to the Housing Units department store and the petrol station leading to the M60, after reports of a serious collision involving a pedestrian and a car.
In a statement, Greater Manchester Police said: "Officers are appealing for witnesses and dashcam footage after a 37-year-old man sadly lost his life. A 20-year-old was arrested a short time later after it is believed the vehicle collided with the pedestrian.
"Greater Manchester Police were called at around 11.30pm on Saturday 15 October 2022 to a serious collision on Oldham Road, Oldham.
"Emergency services attended the scene and despite the best attempts of officers and paramedics the pedestrian was sadly pronounced dead a short time later after suffering fatal injuries.
"Specialist officers have been deployed to support his family at this devastating time.
"GMP's Serious Collision Investigation Unit (SCIU) are now appealing for anyone who may have seen the collision during the evening to get in touch to help their investigation.
"Officers are particularly keen to speak to anyone who may have footage, including dashcam, mobile phone or CCTV/doorbell footage from the area in the moments before the collision took place." No further details have been revealed in either case.
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