Driver ‘not at fault’ as teen killed while fleeing police on M5, say family

The inquest into the death of a teenage girl who was hit by a car after fleeing a police vehicle on the M5 will be heard by a jury, a coroner has said. Tamzin Ellen Hall, from Wellington[1], Somerset, suffered fatal injuries when she was struck by a car on the motorway between junction 25 at Taunton and 24 at Bridgwater shortly after 11pm on November 11, 2024. The 17-year-old had been under arrest at the time and was travelling in an Avon and Somerset Police[2] car which had stopped on the motorway.

During a pre-inquest review at Taunton Coroner's Court on Tuesday, senior coroner Samantha Marsh said the inquest into Tamzin's death would be heard by a jury. She set a provisional date for the inquest on January 11, 2027, at Wells Town Hall, with the inquest expected to last between two and three weeks. The hearing on Tuesday was attended by members of Tamzin's family, including her mother, representatives for Avon and Somerset Police, and the driver of the vehicle involved in the crash.

A representative for the Hall family said they were "keen to emphasise" that the driver involved was "not at fault at all" for Tamzin's death. An inquest opening at Wells Town Hall previously heard Tamzin exited the car and crossed the road before climbing the crash barrier. She was hit by a vehicle driven by a member of the public travelling on the southbound carriageway and sustained fatal head, neck and chest injuries.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) is investigating her death, including the contact that two Avon and Somerset Police officers had with Tamzin before she died.

A report published by the watchdog detailed how the teenager was able to remove her handcuffs and climb from the rear passenger side seat to the front passenger seat of the police car.

References

1. ^ Wellington (www.somersetlive.co.uk)
2. ^ Avon and Somerset Police (www.somersetlive.co.uk)