Autistic girl, 17, killed on the M5 after escaping police car had removed her handcuffs before jumping out of moving vehicle, report finds
Tamzin Hall, 17, who had been arrested for assault and criminal damage, was being taken into custody by two officers in a police car on November 11 last year when the tragedy occurred.
An inquest hearing at Wells Town Hall later that month was told, Tamzin, who was a student, got out of the car and crossed the road before climbing the crash barrier.
The police vehicle stopped on the northbound carriageway of the M5 between junctions 25 at Taunton and 24 at Bridgwater shortly after 11pm.
She was hit by a vehicle driven by a member of the public travelling on the southbound carriageway and was pronounce dead at 11.10pm after sustaining fatal head, neck and chest injuries.
Coroner's officer Ben Batley told the hearing: 'Her injuries were not survivable and Tamzin was declared deceased where she was found on the motorway.'
The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) is investigating her death, including the contact two Avon and Somerset Police officers had with Tamzin before she died.
It is examining their 'actions, decision-making and risk assessments of the situation and whether these followed relevant training and policies'.
At the time of the crash, police said the M5 was closed following a fatal collision between a 'pedestrian and a car' and neglected to mention she had fled their vehicle.
It was only some six hours later - after the IOPC revealed it was investigating - the force disclosed the full circumstances.
An annual report published today by the IOPC on deaths following police contact has revealed more information on how Tamzin got out of the car.
It detailed how she was able to remove her handcuffs and climb from the rear passenger side seat to the front passenger seat of the police car.
The report, which does not name Tamzin, says: 'A female child was arrested for assault and criminal damage.
'She was placed in the rear passenger side of a marked police car and handcuffed with her hands positioned in front. An officer was seated next to her during transport.
'While on her way to custody, the child managed to remove her handcuffs, climb into the front passenger seat, access the front passenger door and get out of the moving car.
'The child ran across the road and was struck by a vehicle being driven by a member of the public, on the opposite carriageway. The child died at the scene.'
In a tribute a couple of weeks after Tamzin's death, her mother Amy Hall said: 'Tamzin was the most kindest, caring, loving, loyal girl ever. She was the most honest person I've ever known; she was very special to me.
'She had a great sense of humour, and we had many laughs together.
'She was my shadow from the moment she opened her eyes in the morning until she went to sleep at night. She was such an intelligent young girl and had such interesting perceptions on things in life.'
She added: 'Tamzin was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, so she was unique and saw the world in such a different way.
'Tamzin was my absolute everything and I can't believe she isn't here anymore. She was my world.
'She put her all into absolutely everything. She loved helping out as a young child, if you set her a task, she would put her all into it and want it just right.
'She was always so thoughtful and would put others before herself. She loved the simple things in life, talking and her family. Plus, she absolutely loved chocolate – she was chocolate mad!'
'Tamzin was such a wonderful daughter. She was a beautiful person.
'My life will never be the same but I'm using my strength for my other children, Tamzin's siblings.
'She was only 17 but she has taught me a lot and I can use that memory and hold on to that.
'I will never ever get over it, she was taken far too young.'
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