Killed by a speeding driver who ran a red light, his wrecked Audi acts as a warning to others

The force of the crash was so severe it split Joseph Brown-Lartey's car in two.

Police officers who attended the scene on Bury Road in Rochdale said it was the worst smash they had ever seen on an urban street. Joseph, 25, died in 2014 when an Audi A6 being driven by Addil Haroon ran a red light at 80mph at the busy crossroads and smashed into him.

The previous night Haroon, then 19, had bragged on Snapchat of doing 142mph on the M62 from Leeds to Rochdale. Joseph, who worked in advertising and marketing, died instantly of multiple injuries.

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Haroon, who only had a provisional licence, was later jailed for six years for causing death by dangerous driving. Joseph's death left his parents Ian and Dawn Brown-Lartey devastated.

A massive Manchester City fan, the Salford University graduate was known to friends as Joe the gentle giant. A freelancer in advertising and marketing, had been working on an app to sell art with a team of friends in the months before his death.

They were on the verge of securing a deal to help launch it the week he was killed.

Speaking at the time Mrs Brown-Lartey said: "He was just a magnet for people. He was lovely.

"His life was just about to take off in a massive way. And then this happened.

"Life is a light switch. You take life for granted and get on with your daily things and don’t think about something like this until it happens and the switch goes off."

This week Joseph's wrecked Audi A5 went on display in Piccadilly Gardens as part of a hard-hitting road safety campaign. Former police liaison officer Michael Goddard, who attended the aftermath of Joseph’s crash, has spent the last decade using the car, which was donated to GMP after his death, to highlight the deadly risks of dangerous driving.

Michael, who now works with law firm Simpson Millar helping families impacted by catastrophic car crashes, said: "The display at Piccadilly Gardens served as a poignant reminder of what is at stake every time we get behind the wheel. This campaign underscores the need for ongoing road safety education to save lives."