Driver in death crash was banned

The driver of a car which crashed and killed three people in Chadderton was disqualified from driving at the time of the incident.

Investigations showed that Littleborough-born Paul Bunting was not wearing a seatbelt when the Vauxhall Vectra hit a garden wall and flipped on to its roof in Middleton Road at 3.30am on November 16, 2008.

He was killed instantly as were passengers Christopher Morrison and Cassie Fox. Clare Matthews survived the collision but can’t remember anything about the incident.

PC Daniel Byrne started to pursue the Vauxhall Vectra after he saw it go through a red light at Mumps Roundabout.

He attempted to get Mr Bunting to stop and chased him down Oldham Way and Middleton Road where the collision occurred just two minutes later close to the junction with Broadway.

Inspector Richard Hales, investigating officer for this incident, said the Vauxhall Vectra was on loan from Salford Van Hire to a friend of Mr Bunting’s.

He added that, had Mr Bunting survived the collision, he would have been facing charges of causing death by dangerous driving due to the nature of his driving during the police pursuit.

The investigation showed that the Vauxhall Vectra reached speeds of up to 90mph on Middleton Road, overtaking four vehicles at once and taking a sharp left turn at around 50mph.

Inspector Hales told the Oldham inquest that PC Byrne was totally right to commence the pursuit and had handled the situation correctly from start to finish. At the time of the collision, the fully liveried police car was a minimum of 138 metres behind the Vauxhall Vectra.

Collision reconstruction officer PC David Poole told the inquest that he had found indentations on the kerb in Middleton Road, scuff marks on the road and damage to road signs on the pavement.

He said that the Vauxhall Vectra had suffered a deflated tyre when it hit the kerb before ploughing into a garden wall and flipping on its roof. Debris from the incident spread for 51 metres.

The inquest continues.