They were on their way home from a night shift when this driver 'turned their life upside down'

A nurse driving home from a hospital night shift was left with brain injuries after a speeding car ploughed through metal barriers and smashed into his vehicle head on. Daniel Delia was driving along Regent Road after working at Salford Royal Hospital. His girlfriend Gemma Williams, who also works at the hospital, was in the car alongside him.

As they passed through the busy main road towards Manchester, a black Vauxhall Insignia travelling in the other direction crashed through metal barriers separating the opposing carriageways at speed, and ploughed into their Kia car.

Both Mr Delia and Ms Williams suffered serious injuries, Manchester Crown Court heard. Mr Delia sustained a brain injury as well as a broken leg, while Ms Williams was also seriously hurt. Tadiwa Munyoro, the driver of the Insignia, was also injured.

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Munyoro, 26, from Swinton, has narrowly avoided a prison sentence after admitting causing serious injuries as a result of his dangerous driving. Regent Road was shut for almost 12 hours following the horror crash, on Saturday, April 16, 2022.

Mr Delia told how his injuries have affected his ‘dream job’ as a nurse and have left him with headaches and flashbacks. Prosecutors told how the crash occurred just after 8am, as the pair were making their way home.

Munyoro, who has no previous convictions and a clean driving record, was driving in the other direction, arriving on Regent Road from the Mancunian Way.

He had been travelling at about 50mph in a 30mph zone prior to the collision and was seen overtaking other vehicles, prosecutor Hayley Bennett said. Tests conducted after the crash revealed he was over the legal drink drive limit.

Ms Bennett said Mr Delia’s recollection of what happened is ‘limited’ due to his injuries. Both he and Ms Williams were knocked unconscious for a time.

They both had to be cut out of the Kia by firefighters and were rushed to hospital. Munyoro was also injured and hospitalised.

Mr Delia suffered brain injuries and fractures to his femur and ankle. Ms Williams suffered an abdominal injury and spent four days in hospital. Munyoro also had a passenger in his car who suffered more minor injuries. He was interviewed by police a month later and replied no comment to the officers’ questions.

“There is absolutely no doubt both these innocent victims had their lives turned upside down by your criminal driving,” Munyoro who pleaded guilty to two counts of causing serious injury by dangerous driving, was told by the judge, Recorder Michael Armstrong.

Both victims said they have been diagnosed with PTSD, while Mr Delia said he only returned to work five months later. Defending, William Staunton said Munyoro is a university student who has worked as a support worker. He described the defendant as a ‘pleasant, hard working individual’ who has displayed remorse for his actions, composing apology letters for his victims.

He said that Munyoro had been ‘burning the candle at both ends’ and suggested ‘tiredness’ may have played a factor in the incident. Mr Staunton appealed for Munyoro to be spared from a prison sentence.

The judge said he had an ‘incredibly difficult decision’ to make. He noted it was a serious offence but said sending Munyoro to jail would ‘not change the position in respect of Mr Delia and Ms Williams’.

He said the defendant was a young man with ‘a lot to contribute to society’. “You have been given a chance, please take it,” the judge told him.

Munyoro, of Mere Drive, Swinton, was sentenced to two years in prison, suspended for two years. He was ordered to complete 250 hours of unpaid work, and 20 rehabilitation activity requirement days. He was banned from driving for two years and must take an extended retest before he can drive again.