M62 triple-death crash: The full story

Dec 31 2009 by Anne-Marie Senior, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

TRIBUTES were paid last night to three friends who were killed in an accident on the M62 in Huddersfield.

All three men died when their car careered into a crash barrier in heavy snow near Scammonden.

The accident, shortly after 9pm on Tuesday evening, shut the motorway for more than seven hours.

The men – all from the Preston area – died when their Mitsubishi saloon hit a barrier near Scammonden Dam.

Imran Bodi, 27, his cousin Bilal Bholat, 24, and brother-in-law Alnoor Rajani, 31, were killed instantly in the crash.

Two were thrown from the saloon while the third man was found lying at the side of the car.

Mr Bodi, of Broadgate, Preston, Mr Bholat, also of Broadgate, and father-of-two Mr Rajani, had been driving back to Preston from Middlesbrough in the Mitsubishi, having bought it just hours earlier when tragedy struck.

Mosque leaders in Preston said the Muslim community was in shock.

Mukhtar Master, a trustee of Broadgate mosque where the three men attended, said: “They were all upstanding members of the community and for everyone this has been a massive shock.

“Everyone is stunned and obviously in mourning for the loss.”

He said morning prayers at the mosque yesterday were “very emotional” as news of the accident reached worshippers.

Mr Rajani had two children, aged five and four.

Kate Rajani, a relative, said: “I would like to pay tribute to Alnoor. He is my husband’s cousin and as far as we know Alnoor was in the back of the new car.

“Alnoor leaves his wife and two young children, the whole family are extremely upset at this tragedy”.

Elyas Desai, an imam at the Deepdale Mosque, said the men had been involved in voluntary work to raise money for their mosque last weekend.

He said: “They had been providing travel to London and that is the kind of lads they were, very dedicated to their religion and their community.

“They were good lads, you would not hear anyone have a bad word to say about any of them.”

Mick Pollard, watch manager at Elland fire station, was with one of the crews who were first on the scene and said there was “a good covering of snow” when crews arrived.

He said: “It had been snowing at the time for an hour. The snow started about 8pm. By 9.11pm when we were called, there was a good covering of snow on the road.