Woman sees Facebook post about air ambulance but has no idea victim is own mum

21 September 2023 , 10:20

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Kathleen Kirby was killed after being hit by the Audi TT in Wigan (Image: MEN Media)

A woman who was sent a Facebook post about an air ambulance being called to a crash near her home was unaware the victim was her own mother.

Kathleen Kirby, 66, died in a road ambulance on the way to hospital. The collision was caused by Chad Rimmington, who has never passed a driving test, after he sped away from police at 78mph. Her daughter Rachel Bartram "was screaming, in shock and being sick" when she was told her mother had been involved in the crash. Kathleen had recently retired and was looking forward to a long and happy life with Cliff Bullen, her partner of 22 years and Rachel's stepfather.

Tributes have poured in to Kathleen, who had recently retired (MEN Media)

But a court heard Rimmington ploughed into Kathleen in Wigan, Greater Manchester, after he sped an Audi TT at 78mph. Police were pursuing the 32-year-old man, who was on bail at the time having admitted an offence of going equipped for theft, sped away when asked to stop. Eventually he crashed into the back of an Amazon delivery van, which caused it to spin and mount the curb, hitting Kathleen and narrowly missing her partner, Manchester Evening News reports.

Paying tribute to her mum today, Rachel said: "She was 66 but lived life like a 35-year-old. She had so much to look forward to. She was like a rainbow, she was a butterfly." Speaking at Bolton Crown Court, where Rimmington admitted causing death by dangerous driving yesterday, Rachel looked straight at the man in the dock and said: "You still get to breathe, my mum doesn’t. I am broken, broken beyond repair. All this, for what? Can you tell me, because I will never understand.

"You, Chad, will never understand When you get out of prison, whenever that will be, you will move on. I will never move on. You chose a life of crime. My mum didn’t choose to be killed. Prison, in my eyes, is too good for you, but as long as you are behind bars, this world is a little safer."

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Kathleen had five children and nine grandchildren with Cliff, who also had recently retired before the crash earlier this year. Following the hearing, Cliff said: "Over 100 bunches of flowers were placed at the scene of Kath’s death, and over 500 mourners attended her funeral. We both worked hard all our lives. Kath and I had both recently retired, we were both loving spending time together and looked forward to a long, happy retirement, watching our grandchildren grow up. My life has been ruined in one second of madness. It was like a scene from a war film."

In a statement read on Cliff's behalf in court, the dad said: "I know I will never be the same person without Kath. Kath was the heart and soul of the family. Nobody had the chance to tell Kath how much they loved her, and nobody had the chance to say goodbye."

Andrew Bardsley