When the Road Doesn’t Let You Say Goodbye

And that’s the thing about fatal accidents: they often leave behind more questions than answers, and more grief than words can carry.

I give credit to Leanne for playing a part in my entire career because if it was not for Leanne, I would not have gone to college. I only went because she said she was going and asked if I was.

College then led me to university and my business degree. My business degree later helped me get my first job in a law firm where I then studied law and qualified as a solicitor. I now have my own firm and looking back, if Leanne didnt ask me to go to college, I might never have started on the career path that I did.

The Quiet Aftermath

Leanne’s death broke something in the people who loved her. It wasn't just shock — it was this deep, permanent missing. There are so many things we’ll never say now. So many future memories that will never be made. A life gone in a moment — and lives changed forever around it.

When someone dies suddenly, there’s a ripple effect that goes further than most people imagine:

• Young children wake up to a world without a parent.

• Parents find themselves preparing for funerals instead of birthdays.

• Friends relive the last message, the last laugh, the last hug — on repeat.

• The car is removed from the road, but the silence it leaves behind never moves.

I, like many others, now visit a grave instead of a friend and her family.

Driving Is a Serious Matter

We all think we're safe drivers. Most of us are. But driving is one of the most dangerous things we do in daily life — and it becomes more dangerous in an instant.

A text.
A quick glance at the sat nav.
An itch.
A worry.
A deer.
A blink too long.

Sometimes, it's not even something we do — it's something that just happens. But even so, we all need to remember that driving demands respect. It demands our attention.

Please, if you’re reading this, put your phone away when you drive. Keep your eyes on the road. Don’t drive angry, or tired, or distracted. Because sometimes there are no second chances.

For Those Grieving

There’s no right way to grieve. Some people cry, others go quiet. Some need to talk. Some can't speak at all.

If you’ve lost someone in a road traffic accident, you’re not alone — even though it might feel like it.

There are support groups locally and nationally, including:

• Brake – the road safety charity offering support for bereaved families (brake.org.uk)

• Cruse Bereavement Support – free support from trained volunteers (cruse.org.uk)

Talk to someone if you can. It doesn’t need to be a professional — just someone who will sit with you, listen to the silence, and not try to fix it.

Look Out for Each Other

Losing Leanne changed the way I see the world. And hearing about this week’s fatal accident on Chorley Old Road — so close in distance, so close in nature — brought it all flooding back.

It reminded me that we don’t always know what someone is carrying. Some people are walking around holding the weight of unimaginable loss. Some are grieving silently. Some are barely holding it together.

So please — check in on your mates. Text your brother. Call your mum. Go for a brew with your cousin.

You never know how much it might mean.

Final Thoughts

Driving is a freedom — but it comes with a responsibility that can never be taken lightly. The cost of a mistake, a distraction, or just bad luck can be life-changing for more than one life.

And sometimes, heartbreakingly, there’s nothing anyone can do.

In memory of Leanne. And in memory of the young woman lost this week.

Please drive carefully.
Please look after each other.
And please, never take life for granted.

It brought back memories of my best friend from school, Leanne Wood, who died in a single-vehicle accident on Belmont Road at the junction with Scout Road on 20th January 2005. She was only 19 at the time and was just out driving. That was all. Just out, just living, just on the road. And then — gone.

We still don’t know what happened. No one does. Maybe a deer ran into the road. Maybe another car appeared suddenly and vanished before it could be traced. Maybe she was momentarily distracted — maybe it was something and nothing. We'll never know.

This week, another young woman lost her life on the roads of Bolton — this time on Chorley Old Road, near the Bob Smithy end of Scout Road. Although the details are still emerging, the news hit close to home.