An inquest heard that a mother died after collapsing in the street from a row she had with her boyfriend, whom she believed was cheating.
Hannah Smith, 33, had been drinking wine, smoking cannabis ‘recreationally’ and wandering the streets at 2.34am when she keeled over at a set of traffic lights crossing Lees Road on September 20 last year.
Moments later she was crushed under the wheels of a Vauxhall Corsa after the driver, Daniel Ul-Haq, failed to spot her lying in the carriageway of the A669 in Oldham, Greater Manchester.
Hannah, from nearby Shaw, had been on a night out with her long-term partner Steve Newton and other friends.
She had an argument with boyfriend Steve in the taxi home as she believed he was cheating on her.
A mother was run over and killed when she collapsed in the road after a drunk row with her boyfriend she thought was cheating on her, an inquest has heard
Hannah Smith was 33 years old and had been drinking wine and smoking marijuana’recreationally.’ She wandered the streets at 2.34am, when she stopped at Lees Road’s traffic lights last September 20. Long-term partner Steve Newton pictured right
Mr Ul-Haq, 22, was not speeding, but carried on driving in the mistaken belief his vehicle had hit a kerb.
Hannah was described by friends as the ‘life and soul of the party’ and ‘having a heart of gold’.
She suffered fatal injuries in the impact and died two weeks later in hospital despite undergoing several rounds of surgery.
Mr Ul-Haq was questioned by police on suspicion of dangerous driving, but was released without charge and cleared of any wrongdoing.
Sgt Neil Pennington of Greater Manchester told an inquest in Rochdale: ‘She had consumed alcohol but we do not know how much.
‘Certain witnesses describe her as being drunk but not in a happy place. She believed her boyfriend was cheating on her and she had an argument with her boyfriend and it continued in the taxi they got home.
She was then crushed by a Vauxhall corsa shortly after Daniel Ul-Haq (the driver) failed to notice her lying in Oldham’s carriageway on A669, Greater Manchester. Pictured: Tributes to Hannah at the scene of the accident
‘The taxi driver described how the female was sat in the rear of the taxi with the male in the front seat.
‘They had travelled a short distance when the boyfriend asked to get out of the car.
‘The argument then continued when he got out, but he got back into the car and got a short distance before walking off again.
‘The taxi driver described the female then asking him to take her to an address and she was upset and crying.
‘She knocked on the front door of an apartment block where her sister Lucy Smith lived but she had an argument with one of the staff members and was refused entry. This was around 2:30am. We have no evidence of where she went next.
Hannah, from nearby Shaw, had been on a night out with her long-term partner Steve Newton (pictured right) and other friends
‘The next time she is seen is by a male who sees her in the middle of the road and he was concerned about her.
‘He went to speak to her and she told him that she had been assaulted by her boyfriend.
‘He describes that she was very angry and he rang the police. He then returned to the scene but she had already been run over.
‘CCTV footage shows her crossing the street before collapsing She lying in the road for approximately 50 seconds.
‘A delivery driver working at the time approached a set of traffic lights and saw a person lying in the road stretched across one lane.
‘He described how he was stationary in lane one and how the other driver in a small white car had moved into lane two to overtake him, travelled over Hannah and continued on its journey.
‘A passenger in a taxi described seeing a person lying in the road and asked the driver to stop so she could help, but this was post-collision.’
Although Mr Ul-Haq (22 years old) was not speeding, he continued to drive in the misguided belief that his vehicle had crashed into a curb. Pictured with her sister Georgina
In the police interview, Mr Ul-Haq said he would have stopped if he had known his car had hit someone.
His speed was 27 mph, in a zone of 30 mph at the time of collision. Hannah was wearing dark clothing when the collision occurred, according to inquires.
Sgt Pennington said: “He was following the speed limit, and Hannah was only 35m from him when he pulled over to overtake.
She would be less obvious and would be difficult to spot.
“He would never have been able to see her.” It was inevitable.
Toxicology tests showed traces of cannabis in Hannah’s system.
Georgina her sister said to the hearing that she had seen her happy and well. Although she did drink, it wasn’t every day.
“She just wants to go out and drink a lot, and she can’t handle it.”
“The loss of my sister has caused a lot of grief for our family. It is hard for me to comprehend why she would collapse on the road.
Alexandra Preston recorded a narrative conclusion. The night was filled with alcohol, and she had an argument about her boyfriend.
Hannah is described as the life and soul of the party by her friends and “having an heart of gold”
Although she had been through several rounds, her fatal injury in the impact caused her to die two weeks later.
They hired a taxi for their trip home. However, the fight continued and the boyfriend left the car. She continued on to her sister’s house.
“She tried to gain entry but she was aggressive and had to be removed.
She was seen walking along Lees Road toward a pedestrian island at 2.34am. However, she collapsed on the road due to alcohol which could have adversely affected her ability of staying upright.
She was laying across the second lane about 50 seconds until a Vauxhall Corsa drove past her.
“The driver did not brake, but he was following the speed limit. He said that he couldn’t have seen the woman.
Although I cannot pinpoint the reason she lost her balance, it is probable that alcohol or recreational drugs played a role in her inability to stand upright.
The CCTV footage shows that she has an unstable gate and is also displaying evidence of marijuana consumption.
“She was dressed in dark clothes and was in a difficult position to see.
The collision occurred because the visibility was not good enough.
She died due to her collapsing and being on the roads. Her death was caused by drugs and alcohol.
This was a terrible loss. There are very young children now who have to survive without their mothers.
The inquest was not attended by Mr Ul-Haq nor Mr Newton.