Mum is killed in motorway crash horror
Car hit floodwater then smashed into tree
AYOUNG mum was killed in an horrific crash on the M66 motorway on Saturday afternoon.
Natalie Doherty, from Crawshawbooth, had lost control of her vehicle. The 33-year-old’s car had hit floodwater and aquaplaned soon after she got onto the motorway, sending it off the road before she crashed into a tree.
Emergency services rushed to the scene of the accident, but Natalie, formerly of Haslingden, was pronounced dead. She leaves behind her six-year-old son Bobby.
Her inconsolable family have since come together to pay tribute to the “stunning” mum-of-one, who they say had a “heart of gold”.
“TIME has stopped and it’s not real.” Those are the words of a family who are coming to terms with the loss of a beautiful mum following her death in a crash on the M66.
Natalie Doherty, from Crawshawbooth, was involved in the collision on Saturday afternoon, May 8 when she lost control of her vehicle.
The 33-year-old’s car had hit floodwater and aquaplaned soon after she got onto the motorway, sending her car off the road before she crashed into a tree.
Emergency services rushed to the scene of the accident, but Natalie, formerly of Haslingden, was pronounced dead.
She leaves behind her sixyear-old son Bobby.
Natalie’s family have paid tribute to the ‘stunning’ mum, and recalled the moment they discovered their lives had changed for ever.
After not hearing from her for several hours, the family say they “just knew” something was wrong. Then, at 6.30pm, they received the phone call.
Speaking to the Free Press, Marion Mckenzie described the moment she found out her daughter had died.
The 55-year-old became emotional as she said: “I screamed and Bobby said, ‘What’s wrong with nana?’
“We told him I had stubbed my toe. Then Bobby sat on his bed with his McDonald’s watching telly.
“This morning, I realised we will never see her again. We will never speak to her. You just think to yourself, why did she have to go? Why didn’t she just stay at home? Why didn’t they go in the van? But you could question everything.”
Her inconsolable family have since come together to pay tribute to the “stunning” mum-of-one, who they say had a “heart of gold”.
“Life has been horrendous. It’s like life has stood still,” Marion’s partner, Andrea Mckenzie, said.
“Time has stopped and it’s not real. I can’t imagine what Marion is going through. It’s her only child. She hasn’t lived her life. She hasn’t lived her life with Bobby - and you should never have to bury your own children.
“Marion just lay there with tears streaming down her face. She didn’t even shut her eyes. She just had a picture of Natalie and herself in her hands, clutching it, and there’s nothing I can do.
Natalie worked as a dental nurse for 16 years - her latest job being a receptionist at a dental practice.
Her family say she loved food, shopping and visiting beauty salons, but most of all being a mother to her young son. Bobby was meant to be travelling in the car with Natalie at the time of the crash but wanted to stay at his grandmother’s house instead.
Andrea continued: “He’s six - his dad told him mummy is an angel and that god only takes the good angels. I’ve never seen a bond like the bond with her and Bobby; they were absolutely inseparable. She said she would pick Bobby up but he wanted to stay with his nana, thank God.
“We didn’t hear anything because she usually rings to FaceTime with Bobby. We didn’t hear anything and we just knew. It got to 6pm and we knew something wasn’t quite right. At 6.30pm we got the phone call.”
Natalie’s cousin, Debra Wainwright, described her passing as a “massive loss”.
She said: “I was brought up with Natalie and she’s more like a sister to me than a cousin. She was really close to my mum and loved going to aunty Ann’s for a Sunday lunch.
“We are a very close-knit family and it’s a massive, massive loss.”
Natalie leaves behind her son Bobby Roberts, partner Jamie Hogarth, mother Marion Mckenzie, stepmother Andrea Healey, father Jason Doherty, stepmother Janet Lewis, brothers, Jordan and Mason as well as aunties, uncles, cousins.
Greater Manchester Police have since launched an investigation into the incident and have asked anyone with any dashcam footage to contact officers.