Two police officers face misconduct probe after teenager dies on M5 following escape from patrol car

The fatal collision occurred on the M5 motorway  (PA Archive)
The fatal collision occurred on the M5 motorway (PA Archive)

Two Avon and Somerset Police officers have been served with misconduct notices after a 17-year-old girl escaped from a police car and died on the M5, the Independent Office for Police Conduct said.

Tamzin Hall, from Wellington, Somerset, sustained fatal injuries when she was struck by a car on the M5 between junction 25 at Taunton and 24 at Bridgwater after 11pm on November 11. An inquest at Wells Town Hall heard she had been under arrest at the time and was travelling in an Avon and Somerset Police car, which had stopped on the motorway.

After the hearing, her mother, Amy Hall, described her eldest daughter as her "best friend" and said their family was "devastated".

"Tamzin was the most kindest, caring, loving, loyal girl ever," she said. "Tamzin was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, so she was unique and saw the world in such a different way."

Ms Hall was being taken to custody when officers pulled her over for “safety reasons”, the IOPC said, adding she had been handcuffed with her hands in front of her and had an officer sat beside her.

She fled the stationary marked police car on the northbound carriageway and died after being hit by a car on the southbound carriageway.

Regional director David Ford: “My thoughts and sympathies remain with Tamzin’s family and friends, and everyone affected by the tragic events of that evening.

“We have met with Tamzin’s family to offer our condolences and to outline how our investigation will progress. We will provide them with regular updates as our inquiries continue.

“Our investigation is in the early stages and we are working hard to establish the exact circumstances of what took place, from the time of Tamzin’s arrest, to how events unfolded a short time later on the M5.”