A man has tragically died in a collision on the M5 after exiting an ambulance that had stopped to help.
Last night, the ambulance service informed the police that a patient had exited an ambulance that had stopped to provide further treatment on the northbound carriageway between junction 21 (Weston-super-Mare) and 20 (Clevedon) while taking them to hospital. Shortly after, the 18-year-old man was reported to be on the motorway.
As police rushed to the scene, an on-duty officer tried to bring the man to safety to reduce the risk to him as well as to other members of the public. But sadly, the man was involved in a collision with a car being driven southbound.
He died at the scene despite the efforts of emergency services personnel. His family members have been updated and are being supported by a specially trained liaison officer, Somerset Live reported.
Avon and Somerset Police said: “A man has sadly died after a collision on the M5 on Sunday night (30 November). At 11.04pm the ambulance service made us aware that a patient had exited an ambulance that had stopped to provide further treatment on the northbound carriageway between junction 21 (Weston-super-Mare) and 20 (Clevedon) while taking them to hospital.
“The patient, an 18-year-old man, was subsequently reported to be on the motorway. An on-duty officer came across the incident and attempted to bring the man to safety to reduce the risk to him as well as to other members of the public.
“Sadly, shortly after this, the man was involved in a collision with a car being driven southbound, and he died at the scene despite the efforts of emergency services personnel.”
(
National Highways)
Assistant Chief Constable Joanne Hall said: “Our thoughts are with the man’s family at such a devastating time. We will support them in any way we can. This incident has had a significant effect on our officers and ambulance crews who are understandably incredibly upset by what happened.
“As well as providing support to the man’s family, we are also making sure that the appropriate welfare arrangements are in place for our staff and also for those members of the public who were either directly involved or who witnessed the incident.
“A mandatory referral has been made to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) by our Professional Standards Department. It’s already begun an independent investigation into the circumstances, which we will fully cooperate with.”
The motorway was closed last night to allow emergency services to respond to the incident, and then to allow enquiries to take place at the scene. It reopened this morning.
