M5 teen who died in crash after getting out of ambulance had been tasered by cops
Logan Smith, 18 died after being hit by a vehicle on the M5 on November 30 – the independent police watchdog said he had been tasered by officers before the accident happened
An 18-year-old man who got out of an ambulance on the M5 motorway near Weston-super-Mare was Tasered by police before he was hit by a car and killed, the police watchdog has said. The tragedy happened on November 30 when the ambulance had pulled over on the northbound carriageway between junctions 21 (Weston-super-Mare) and 20 (Clevedon).
Police were alerted by the ambulance service at 11.04pm that a patient had left an ambulance that had pulled over to administer further treatment while en route to the hospital. The 18-year-old patient was subsequently reported to be on the motorway.
An officer on duty tried to guide the young man to safety, aiming to minimise risk to him and other road users. But shortly afterwards, the man was struck by a car travelling southbound.
Now the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) is investigating the actions and decisions taken by Avon and Somerset Police, prior to the death of a teenager.
They said: “We have established that Logan Smith aged 18 and from Weston-super-Mare, was being taken to hospital in an ambulance when, just after 11pm, due to the concerns of ambulance staff, the
vehicle stopped on the hard shoulder of the Northbound M5. Logan got out of the ambulance near the junction for Weston-super-Mare and entered the live lanes of the motorway. Ambulance staff called the police for assistance and a single-crewed officer arrived at the scene shortly after.
Body-worn video footage we have viewed shows the officer attempted to engage with Logan and a short time later discharged their Taser, causing Logan to fall to the ground. Soon afterwards, he was struck by a car travelling along the southbound carriageway.
Despite being given emergency first aid, Logan sadly died at the scene.
IOPC Director Derrick Campbell said:
“My thoughts and sympathies are with Logan’s family and friends and everyone affected by this shocking and tragic incident.
“We want to reassure everyone that we will independently investigate all the circumstances surrounding this incident, including the use of a Taser.
“After being notified by the force, we sent our investigators to the police post incident procedure to begin gathering evidence.
“We have taken initial accounts from the officer and ambulance staff involved.
“We met with Logan’s family on Tuesday, to give our condolences, explain our role and to provide some further detail about our investigation, including a Taser being discharged during the incident. We will continue to keep them updated and they request that their privacy be respected at such a difficult time.”
The coroner has been informed and formal identification and a post-mortem have taken place.Despite the best efforts of emergency services personnel, he died at the scene, reports Somerset Live. The deceased man’s family has been informed and is receiving support from a specially trained liaison officer.
Assistant Chief Constable Joanne Hall expressed her condolences, stating: “Our thoughts are with the man’s family at such a devastating time. We will support them in any way we can.”
She added: “This incident has had a significant effect on our officers and ambulance crews who are understandably incredibly upset by what happened.”
In addition to providing support to the bereaved family, she assured that appropriate welfare arrangements are being made for their staff and those members of the public who were either directly involved or witnessed the harrowing incident.
“A mandatory referral has been made to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) by our Professional Standards Department. It’s already begun an independent investigation into the circumstances, which we will fully cooperate with.”
The M5 was shut for several hours to allow emergency services to carry out investigations at the scene. Commuters faced lengthy diversions until the road was finally reopened before 10am on December 1.
The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) is investigating the actions and decisions taken by Avon and Somerset Police, prior to the death of a teenager on the M5 in Somerset on Sunday (30 November).
We have established that Logan Smith aged 18 and from Weston-super-Mare, was being taken to hospital in an ambulance when, just after 11pm, due to the concerns of ambulance staff, the
vehicle stopped on the hard shoulder of the Northbound M5. Logan got out of the ambulance near the junction for Weston-super-Mare and entered the live lanes of the motorway. Ambulance staff called the police for assistance and a single-crewed officer arrived at the scene shortly after.
Body-worn video footage we have viewed shows the officer attempted to engage with Logan and a short time later discharged their Taser, causing Logan to fall to the ground. Soon afterwards, he was struck by a car travelling along the southbound carriageway.
Despite being given emergency first aid, Logan sadly died at the scene.
IOPC Director Derrick Campbell said:
“My thoughts and sympathies are with Logan’s family and friends and everyone affected by this shocking and tragic incident.
“We want to reassure everyone that we will independently investigate all the circumstances surrounding this incident, including the use of a Taser.
“After being notified by the force, we sent our investigators to the police post incident procedure to begin gathering evidence.
“We have taken initial accounts from the officer and ambulance staff involved.
“We met with Logan’s family on Tuesday, to give our condolences, explain our role and to provide some further detail about our investigation, including a Taser being discharged during the incident. We will continue to keep them updated and they request that their privacy be respected at such a difficult time.”
The coroner has been informed and formal identification and a post-mortem have taken place.
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