Girl, 17, who died on motorway after fleeing police vehicle named

A 17-year-old girl who died after fleeing a police vehicle and being struck by a car on the M5 motorway has been named. Tamzin Hall, from Wellington, was being transported to a custody suite in Bridgwater by two officers in an Avon and Somerset Police car from an address in Taunton, Somerset. The car stopped on the northbound carriageway between junctions 25 at Taunton and 24 at Bridgwater shortly after 11pm on Monday.

The teenager got out of the stationary vehicle and was hit by a car on the southbound carriageway. Paramedics attended the motorway within minutes but the girl was pronounced dead at the scene. Avon and Somerset Police made a mandatory referral to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), which is now investigating the incident.

A spokesperson for the force said: “Our thoughts and sympathies go out to Tamzin’s family for their devastating loss. A specially trained family liaison officer remains in contact with them to keep them updated and to provide support. “The family have asked for privacy at this difficult time.”

IOPC director David Ford added: “This was a truly tragic incident and my thoughts are with Tamzin’s family and friends and everyone affected by the events of that evening. “We are contacting her family to express our sympathies, explain our role, and set out how our investigation will progress. We will keep them fully updated as our investigation continues.

“Our role is to independently investigate all the circumstances surrounding this incident.”