A 26-year-old fitness instructor who drove over an amateur footballer three times after allegedly failing to properly clear ice from her windscreen has admitted causing his death by dangerous driving in Greater Manchester.According to a report by The Sun, Megan Murphy struck 31-year-old Darryl Tomlinson while driving the wrong way down a one-way street in Hindley Green, near Wigan, in the early hours of January 9, 2025.Prosecutors told Bolton Crown Court that Murphy later referred to the victim as a “smackhead” while he remained trapped beneath her vehicle.The court heard that Tomlinson, a keen footballer known locally as “Daz”, had been walking home after a night out when he is believed to have slipped on ice and fallen into the road. CCTV footage showed motorists avoiding him, while concerned residents had already alerted emergency services more than an hour before the fatal collision.However, in what prosecutors described as a tragic chain of events, neither police nor ambulance crews reached the scene despite a 999 call reporting an unresponsive man lying in the street. An investigation into the emergency response is now underway.Rob Hall, prosecuting, said Murphy made only a brief attempt to clear frost from her Citroen DS3 before setting off, leaving her with “practically no outward visibility”. CCTV footage allegedly showed her driving over Tomlinson, reversing over him, and then moving forward again, crushing him beneath the vehicle.A taxi driver who had attempted to block traffic from entering the road reportedly sounded his horn and tried to warn Murphy, while a neighbour ran towards the car. Despite the warnings, the collision occurred.The prosecution further alleged that Murphy initially admitted she had not seen Tomlinson but later gave a false account to police, claiming she had been reversing and thought she had hit a kerb. Officers became suspicious after finding her windscreen still heavily iced over, with only a small section cleared.Phone evidence recovered by investigators also revealed messages discussing the incident, including one suggesting that Tomlinson had been “already on the floor and in the way”.Emergency services eventually arrived around 6am and used a jack to free Tomlinson from beneath the car. He was pronounced dead shortly afterwards from catastrophic crush injuries.In victim impact statements, Tomlinson’s parents described the devastating effect of his death. His mother, Michelle Tomlinson, said her son “would do anything for anybody” and believed he would still be alive had he been seen in time.His father, Tommy Tomlinson, said he had suffered sleepless nights and recurring nightmares since losing his son.The North West Ambulance Service apologised for shortcomings in its handling of the emergency calls, acknowledging mistakes in the response and expressing regret over the incident.Murphy, who runs fitness coaching classes near her home in Ince, admitted causing death by dangerous driving and is due to be sentenced later.
