A teenage patient has died after leaving a stationary ambulance on the M5 motorway and being struck by a car, in a tragic incident that occurred on Sunday night.
Details of the M5 Motorway Incident
The fatal collision took place on the northbound carriageway between junctions 20 and 21, close to the border between North Somerset and Bristol. According to police, the 18-year-old man was being transported to hospital when the ambulance stopped to provide further treatment.
It was during this stop that the young man exited the vehicle and found himself on the live motorway. An off-duty police officer who was at the scene courageously attempted to guide the man to safety.
Failed Rescue Attempt and Investigation
Despite the officer's efforts, the teenager was hit by a car travelling on the southbound carriageway. He was pronounced dead at the scene. The man has not yet been formally identified, and his family are being supported by specialist officers.
Assistant Chief Constable Joanne Hall of Avon and Somerset Police stated that their thoughts were with the man's family and that both police and ambulance staff were "incredibly upset" by the event. The incident has been referred to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), which has begun an independent investigation.
Aftermath and Road Closure
The M5 was closed in both directions for several hours to allow emergency services to respond and for initial investigations to take place. The major route, a critical artery in the South West, reopened on Monday morning, but the closure caused significant disruption for early commuters.
This devastating event highlights the extreme dangers of a pedestrian being on a high-speed motorway. The IOPC's investigation will seek to establish the full sequence of events leading to the man exiting the ambulance.
