South Shields woman killed as police chase car

An independent inquiry has begun after a stolen car being chased by police hit a group of people, killing one woman. The accident on a busy road in South Shields also left a mother, aged 28, and her two children seriously injured.

One woman died in the crash and another is seriously injured

Police began chasing the car after it was allegedly "carjacked" by an armed man. One man has been arrested. The Independent Police Complaints Commission will examine whether the pursuit, which began in South Tyneside, was in line with police procedures.

IPCC commissioner Nicholas Long expressed sympathy to the families of the dead woman - who was in her 40s - and those injured in Thursday's crash, saying it was "a tragedy of the worst kind". "An innocent woman lost her life while out walking on a sunny afternoon," he said. "Our investigation will seek to establish whether the pursuit that led to her death was in line with driving procedures laid down by Northumbria Police Force and whether any actions could have been taken to prevent this tragic death."

Police in a marked car had been following the car that crashed after a motorist reported that they had been forced from it by a man carrying a weapon at 1410 BST in Western Approach, South Tyneside. The silver Honda Civic collided with two parked cars in Westoe Road and seconds later hit the two women and two children as they crossed Horsley Hill Road, South Shields. Police said the mother was in a serious condition in hospital and the condition of her two children was "giving cause for concern."

An IPCC spokesman appealed for any witnesses to the incident to contact them.

Whatever the circumstances, practical accident support, compensation claim assistance and legal advice is available free of charge from our expert First Response team on freephone 0800 037 1066.

Free legal advice direct to your inbox: Ask Law Answers your compensation claim legal question.