Husband Issues Road Safety Plea After Criminal Trial Concludes

A grieving husband has spoken of the ‘life sentence’ his family has been left to face after a mum-of-five was killed in a crash.

Joanne Bailey-Collinge, 34 was fatally injured when the Volkswagen Polo she was driving involved in a collision with two other vehicles.

Her husband Andrew Collinge, 30, and the couple’s four-year-old daughter were also seriously injured in the crash which happened in Wigan on 20 April.

Following the collision Joanne’s family instructed expert road accident lawyers at Irwin Mitchell to help access the specialist support and rehabilitation needed to overcome the ordeal and secure the future of Joanne’s children.

Andrew has now joined his legal team in speaking out about the consequences of dangerous driving. It comes after two drivers were convicted for their role in the crash.

Expert Opinion

“Andrew and the rest of the family have been heartbroken by Joanne’s death in such unnecessary circumstances.

“The actions of the drivers involved in the collision are truly shocking and vividly highlight the terrible consequences innocent families can be left to face because of the selfish behaviour of other road users who think it is acceptable to break the law.

“Nothing can ever make up for what has happened. However, by speaking out Andrew and the rest of Joanne’s family hope that the anguish and pain they have been left to face acts as a warning so the number of people killed or badly injured on our roads reduces.

“We join the family in urging drivers to take care on the roads at all times. We will continue to support Andrew and the rest of the family at this incredibly distressing time as they try to come to terms with what happened as best they can.”
Matthew Garson - Partner

Joanne and Andrew, of Leigh, had been married for six years and had two daughters together. Having dropped their eight year old off at her grandmother’s house, the couple, together with their four year old daughter were driving home on 20 April, when a Mercedes 220 collided with the family’s Polo in Bickershaw Lane, Wigan. 

Andrew suffered a broken arm and also broke three ribs and his sternum, while Joanne’s 13 year old daughter who was in the car, suffered serious injuries. The couple’s four-year old sustained a broken collar bone in the crash. Joanne died later in hospital.

Andrew said: “The past few days have been some of the hardest in my life. We all miss Joanne so much and it has been very difficult reliving the incident and everything that happened.

“She was the love of my life and such a great mum.  We just can’t imagine our lives without her.

“The people responsible for Joanne’s death have left us with our own life sentence and my daughters now have to grow up without their mum.

“While we know nothing will ever bring her back, we needed these answers and hope that lessons are learned from this incident. Motorists need to remember that the safety of themselves, other drivers and pedestrians should always be a key concern when they are on the road.

“I wouldn’t wish what we are going through on any other family and it is vital that the issues seen in this crash are never repeated in the future.”