3 Teens and Taxi Driver Killed in Devastating Head-On Crash

A devastating late-night crash in northern England has left three teenagers and a taxi driver dead after two vehicles collided head-on in Bolton, authorities confirmed.

Greater Manchester Police said the fatal collision happened around 12:45 a.m. Sunday on Wigan Road in Bolton, roughly 200 miles north of London.

Police said a red Seat Leon carrying three teenagers — aged 18 and 19 — slammed head-on into a Citroën C4 Picasso taxi driven by a man in his 50s. The impact proved fatal for everyone inside the two vehicles.

“The driver of the Seat, and two passengers have tragically died following the collision,” police said. “The driver of the Citroën was also sadly pronounced dead at the scene.”

Five additional passengers were injured and rushed to the hospital, where they remain under treatment.

Emergency crews flooded the area in the early morning hours as investigators shut down Wigan Road and began piecing together what led to the deadly crash. A scene remained in place for hours as officers from the Serious Collision Investigation Unit urged anyone with information to come forward.

Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service said three fire engines and a technical response unit were dispatched shortly before 1 a.m.

“Firefighters arrived quickly to make the area safe and used cutting equipment to help remove people from the vehicles before passing them into the care of North West Ambulance Service,” the department said. Crews remained at the scene for roughly two hours.

Footage of the collision, shared by local media, showed the two vehicles striking head-on before debris scattered across the roadway.

Residents living nearby described terrifying moments immediately after the crash.

“It happened exactly at 12.44 a.m.,” one resident told The Bolton News. “I heard a very loud bang and then a woman screaming straight after. She saw the accident happen right in front of her.”

Another resident said they witnessed emergency responders performing CPR at the scene and saw injured passengers pulled from the taxi.

Local residents also said the stretch of road has a troubling history of serious crashes.

“There have been accidents here before, but this is probably the worst one yet,” one woman told BBC North West Tonight. “If nothing changes, it’s only going to get worse.”

Greater Manchester Police Chief Inspector Helen McCormick called the crash a “devastating incident,” thanking first responders who worked through the traumatic scene.

“This was a particularly challenging incident for colleagues in the emergency services,” she said.

Investigators have not yet formally confirmed the identities of the victims as inquiries into the crash continue.