Heartbroken relatives of a woman who was killed after a police chase ended in a crash in Wigan have paid tribute to the 'rock of the family'.
Kathleen Kirby died in a crash on Bolton Road yesterday afternoon (Monday). Police pursued a vehicle that 'failed to stop' to officers, before this vehicle crashed into another which then hit the victim, the Manchester Evening News understands.
Kathleen - aged in her 60s - was rushed to hospital from the scene with serious injuries but sadly died. A man was arrested and taken into custody.
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The incident has been referred to the GMP’s Professional Standards Branch and the Independent Office for Police Conduct. Kathleen's family, who have shared a picture and tribute of her with the Manchester Evening News, described her as a woman 'who took everyone under her wing'.
They said: "Our hearts our broken forever as today we lost our beloved Mum, Nanna, Sister, Partner, Aunty and best friend to so many. She took everyone under her wing, only ever seen the good in everyone.
"Kathleen would be there no matter what and was the rock of our family, she held everyone together with her strength and passion for life. She will never be forgotten and we will all make her proud in everything we do.
"Love you always and forever, Mum, Nanna, Partner and sister, always in our hearts."
Following the tragic news, Councillor Danny Fletcher, for Ashton-in-Makerfield South, said: "As councillor for Ashton-in-Makerfield I was extremely saddened to hear of the devastating accident in our town yesterday afternoon and sad passing of much loved local resident Kathleen. I would like to send my thoughts and prayers to Kathleen’s amazing family.
"Without knowing the specifics of this incident, I cannot comment in detail, however I would like to thank the emergency services for their quick and professional response. I would also like to highlight the heroic efforts of local Ashton residents and businesses, who instinctively offered help at the scene.
"Going forward, with my thoughts and prayers currently with Kathleen’s family, I will be liaising with all relevant services to understand what happened and helping to firmly bring those responsible to justice."
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Yesterday, Superintendent Ian Jones of GMP’s Wigan district said: "Our sincere thoughts and condolences go to the family and friends of the woman that has sadly passed away following the incident earlier on today. We understand that the public are concerned by incidents of this nature and in-line with normal procedure, referrals have been made to GMP’s Professional Standards Branch and the Independent Office for Police Conduct.
"Investigations like this often result in road closures which can cause significant disruption and we thank the local community and road users for their patience during the road closure."
Anyone with information or dashcam footage should contact GMP quoting incident log 2166 of 26/6/2023. Information can be reported online or by using the LiveChat function at www.gmp.police.uk.
If you can't report online, call 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
