A taxi driver who was among four people killed in a head-on collision in Greater Manchester was “the gentlest soul” and was not at fault for the crash, his family has said.
Masrob Ali, 54, died when his taxi collided with a Seat Leon travelling on the wrong side of a residential road in Bolton shortly before 1am on Sunday.
Police are investigating footage shared on social media apparently showing the Seat being driven at speeds reaching 122mph the day before the fatal collision.
Three teenagers in the Seat died while five other people remain in hospital, including a 29-year-old taxi passenger who suffered potentially life-threatening injuries.
Police named those who died in the Seat on Monday as Mohammed Jibrael Mukhtar, 18, Farhan Patel, 18, and Mohammed Danyaal, 19.
Ali, who moved to Britain from Bangladesh 42 years ago, was described by his family on Monday as “the kindest man” who was devoted to his wife and four children.
His eldest daughter, Humayra Ali, 29, told LancsLive: “I just can’t get my head round the fact that he’ll never walk back through the door. I keep thinking it’s just a horrible dream and I’m going to wake up and none of this is real.
“Everyone has said he was the gentlest soul. Nobody had a bad word to say against him. He was so hard-working. He did everything for his family. Nothing held him back and he taught himself everything. I’m just so confused; why has this happened to us?”
Humayra said she had watched CCTV of the crash against the advice of the police. “The police advised me against it but I had to see it,” she said. “It’s clear who was at fault … it’s clear that my dad wasn’t at fault and didn’t do anything wrong.”
Four of Ali’s passengers remain in hospital, including a 29-year-old woman who sustained life-threatening injures, a 28-year-old woman and a 30-year-old man who were seriously injured, and a 29-year-old man who had minor injuries.
All but one of those travelling in the Seat died. The only survivor, an 18-year-old man, is being treated in hospital for injuries.
DI Andrew Page, of Greater Manchester police, urged anyone who witnessed the crash – or the driving of the Seat beforehand – to contact the force.
He said: “We are still in the early stages of our investigation and work is ongoing to establish the full circumstances of this terrible incident.
“As an investigation team, we would encourage people to be mindful of sharing footage on social media given the impact this will have on all the families involved in such a tragic incident.”
