Girl who died after leaving police vehicle on M5 named

A teenage girl who died when she was hit by a car after leaving a stationary police vehicle on the M5, has been named.

Avon and Somerset Police said Tamzin Hall, 17, from Wellington, Somerset, was hit by a car travelling southbound between junction 24 for Bridgwater and junction 25 for Taunton, shortly after 23:00 GMT on Monday.

She had got out of a police vehicle that had stopped on the northbound side while transporting her moments before the incident, police added.

"Our thoughts and sympathies go out to Tamzin’s family for their devastating loss," the force said.

The force referred itself to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), which is investigating the incident.

"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," the force added.

Speaking on Tuesday, Jon Cummins, Avon and Somerset Police's Assistant Chief Constable, shared a statement, calling it a "hugely distressing incident" and "one that will no doubt cause great shock amongst the public".

The IOPC said the teenager was being taken from an address in Taunton to a custody suite in Bridgwater in a police car by two officers.

The police car stopped on the northbound carriageway of the motorway, between junctions 25 and 24 just before 23:00.

At this point, the teenager got out of the car and shortly afterwards was involved in a collision with a member of the public's car on the southbound carriageway, the IOPC said.

An ambulance was called and paramedics attended within a few minutes but Tamzin died at the scene.

IOPC director David Ford said the police watchdog's role was to "independently investigate all the circumstances surrounding this incident".

"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."

Mr Ford said the IOPC had taken accounts from officers involved and were obtaining statements from several witnesses.

He added that the coroner had been informed and a post-mortem examination had been carried out on Thursday afternoon.