A proud mother was killed in an Oldham car smash as she excitedly raced to get her 13-month-old son to a modelling assignment.
Georgina Taylor, 22, was so delighted at toddler Rory being picked for a photo shoot at a child model agency, she hit speeds of up to 85mph in her silver BMW Mini Cooper on a motorway.
But as she tried to negotiate a bend, Georgina suddenly lost control of the vehicle and went into a 360-degree spiral before ploughing into a tree on an embankment.
As her car began to catch fire, passing motorists pulled over and bravely pulled Rory clear from the booster seat inside of the wreckage of the vehicle.
Miraculously the boy escaped with a cut and abrasion to his head but his blonde haired mother died in the driver’s seat from multiple fatal injuries, despite efforts to save her.
Inquiries revealed Georgina had only passed her driving test just 15 days before the tragedy and the car’s tyres were ‘significantly deflated’. Her inexperience with driving meant she was unable to properly negotiate a bend on the A627 near Oldham, Greater Manchester at high speed.
Rory, now 18-month-old lives with his grandparents and is still said to be too young to understand what happened to his mother.
An inquest was told Georgina from Knaresbrough. North Yorks and who was known as ‘George’ by her family and friends, had been a talented dancer at school and a keen horse rider before enrolling on a course at Leeds Trinity University to study maths and psychology .
Her mother Sally Taylor told the hearing: “When she was at primary school she began to blossom becoming involved in modern tap dance and ballet. She also did gymnastics and swing. She passed her eleven plus and went to the local grammar school. She excelled in dance, receiving honours.”
”Due to fortuitous events by reason of her brother partaking in horse riding lessons, she began having weekly lessons too. The lessons became a regular event in her life and she soon met knew friends and became preoccupied doing everything at the stables, particularly on Sundays grooming and mucking out”
“At school she particularly adept at maths and sports such as netball and hockey and she did really well in her GSCE’s attaining nine passes.”
In November 2012, Rory was born and by the summer of 2013 Georgina had applied to Leeds Trinity University where she had to complete and entrance years because she hadn’t finished her A-levels.
Her mother said: “I think she was finding it difficult to cope as a young mother and student. Her baby was unwell sometimes with chest infections and hospital appointments. Together with her studies, affectively Georgina had mapped out her future with her son and the heart of it.”
In the two months before her death, Georgina threw big event for to mark Rory’s first birthday with friends and family attending. Her mother added: “We were all together at the grandparents for Christmas and Boxing Day and Georgina was the life and soul of the party. The next event was meant to be Rory’s christening but we couldn’t get everybody in the country at the same time.”
The hearing in Heywood was told Georgina had started driving in driving in 2012 and obtaining a provisional licence before passing her driving test at the third attempt on January 10th 2014.
Her mother’s partner often accompanied her in the Mini car and said she always drove ‘carefully and competently’ and that she never took any unnecessary risks whilst driving.
They even took the £2000 Mini on a 200 mile run to Cambridge to see how the car faired on long journeys and soon after the vehicle was put through an MOT costing £1200.
Tragedy struck on January 25 this year when Georgina had been offered the chance to take her son to a professional photo shoot with a child model agency in Macclesfield. She was said by Mrs Taylor be ‘so excited’ that her son had been picked for the photo shoot and ”dedicated” the weekend to the toddler.
But on her way to the assignment she began speeding – eventhough she was not late for the shoot. Eye-witness Simon Thompson, a joiner from Rochdale who driving his VW on the motorway said: “I was driving at around 70mph and that was when the Mini overtook me and it came passed quite fast.
”I did not think much of it at first. It was going quite fast and was increasing in speed. As it got to the side of the Mondeo in front of me I saw the back of the Mini swing out and skid out of control. It was awful to see.”
Mondeo driver, Paul Herdman, on his way to Manchester Airport from Rochdale, said: “I first noticed a noise – there was a sound of skidding and squeeking. I was travelling at 70mph and she must have been doing 15mph more than me.
”The mini was just 6 feet in front of me when it spun across into my land before continuing to do a 360 degree turn toward the hard shoulder. It was surreal.”
Passing motorist and break-down recovery driver, Shaun Pattinson said: “I ran up to the car and could see a baby looking at me from the back seat.
“It was not clear if anyone else was in the car at this point as the roof was completely crushed in, not far from the babies head. I reached in unfastened the baby straps and lifted him out. I had to be careful because of the broken window.
”I handed him to someone and went back to the embankment and people were shouting ‘she is gone, she is gone, leave it.”
He then realised that the back of the car was smoking and added: “I got down on my knees and started shovelling mud with my hands to put the fire out. I was trying to do it as fast as I could. Eventually someone turned up with an extinguisher.
“My heart was ten to the dozen and it was such a relief to hear emergency services coming.”
PCe Paul Standish, a forensic collision investigation officer, who examined the car said: “Although the MOT was met, a mixture of tyres, half winter and half budget tyres, and general wear and tear, may have compromised the handling of the car.
“The tyres were significantly 36% deflated and in the circumstances it is possible that as Georgina managed the left hand corner she understeered.
“A combination of an excess of the speed limit and maintenance of the car and a lack of motorway driving experience may have led to this tragic accident.”
Senior coroner Simon Nelson recorded her death as a road traffic collision and told Mrs Taylor: “I mentioned how miraculous, as I think that is the only word for it, that your grandson came out of this completely unscathed.
“I hope when he is old enough to understand you will tell him about his mother who sadly is no longer here to care for him.
“As she passed her driving test she would have means to be a free spirit. She was able to travel. I appreciate that weekend was devoted to her son. I do not perceive this is a scenario of someone being late for an appointment and taking risks to make up time.
”I put her speeding simply down to a lack of experience. I cannot ignore the fact that speed was a significant factor in this incident.
“It was quite miraculous that no one else sustained a life threatening injury. What occurred will remain with all the family for the rest of your lives. She had an eventful life. She strikes me as a very determined individual.”
Story via Cavendish Press
Image courtesy of Facebook with thanks
