Somerset: Teenage girl dies on M5 motorway after fleeing police vehicle
The M5 had been closed in both directions between junctions 24 and 25 after the teenager died at the scene.
Tuesday 12 November 2024 14:52, UK
A 17-year-old girl who died after being hit by a car on the M5 motorway in Somerset had fled a police vehicle moments before the collision.
The teenager was being transported to custody when she got out of the Avon and Somerset Police vehicle, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said.
The police vehicle had stopped on the northbound carriageway between junctions 25 and 24, Avon and Somerset Police said.
She was hit by a car on the southbound carriageway at about 11pm on Monday.
Paramedics attended the motorway within minutes but the girl was pronounced dead at the scene.
Police said the victim's family have been informed of the circumstances and described the teenager's death as "tragic".
A spokesperson for the IOPC said: "We sent our investigators to the police post incident procedure to begin gathering evidence.
"Our sympathies are with the girl's loved ones and everyone affected by her death."
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No one else was injured in the incident.
Avon and Somerset Police made a mandatory referral to the IOPC, which is now investigating the incident.
The M5 was closed in both directions between junctions 24 at Bridgwater and 25 at Taunton after the incident.
National Highways confirmed that the motorway reopened in both directions shortly after 11am on Tuesday.
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