Tragedy in Britain with a 17-year-old girl killed when she was swept away by a car after fleeing a police car.

The teenage girl drove off on the M5 motorway, on the section between Bridgewater and Taunton in Somerset, late on Monday (11/11) night.

The 17-year-old had been arrested and in unclear circumstances, she got out of the patrol car and was swept away by the car.

According to the Daily Mail, questions have been raised about the attitude of police after they failed to provide information about the 17-year-old and were content to say that the M5 had been closed due to a fatal car crash.

Several hours later, the Independent Police Ethics Authority announced it was conducting an investigation, leading Somerset-Avon Police to reveal the girl had been taken into custody.

A spokesman for the service said: “We have launched an investigation into the circumstances of the death of a 17-year-old girl who was struck by a vehicle on the M5 near Taunton last night. We have been informed by Somerset-Avon Police that the girl was being taken into custody in a patrol car and had got out shortly before the collision. We sent our investigators to collect evidence. Our condolences to her loved ones.”

The two police statements

The first police statement said the teenager’s relatives had been informed and were receiving support. “Our thoughts are with them,” the statement said.

“No one else was injured. The M5 will remain closed for some time while enquiries are carried out. The investigation has been compulsorily referred to the Independent Police Ethics Authority after the 17-year-old was contacted by police,” the first statement read.

However, when it became known that the 17-year-old escaped from a police vehicle, police issued a new statement: ‘We confirm that the 17-year-old was being transported in a police vehicle shortly before the fatal collision. Officers stopped the vehicle while it was heading northbound between the Taunton and Bridgewater intersections. The girl got out of the stopped patrol car and was then tragically involved in a roadway collision with another vehicle shortly after 11 p.m. An ambulance was called and arrived within minutes. Rescuers pronounced her dead.”