Probe after police cars involved in M1 smash

AN investigation has begun into a motorway crash in Rotherham involving two unmarked police cars and a vehicle carrying four children—just hours before a lorry driver died in another crash on the same stretch of road.

The unmarked BMW and Seat Leon cars were carrying South Yorkshire Police officers to take part in a pre-planned operation when they were involved in a crash with a Seat Alhambra on the northbound carriageway of the M1 near Junction 34 at Tinsley.

Three other cars got caught up in the collision at 12.30am last Friday after getting hit by debris from the damaged vehicles.

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Police said that four children and an adult from the people carrier had been taken to hospital, including an 11-year-old boy who sustained serious head injuries.

A woman in the car underwent an operation for a serious arm injury and one of the other children broke a leg and suffered internal injuries.

The drivers of the unmarked police cars were taken to Sheffield’s Northern General Hospital with minor injuries.

The Independent Police Complaints Commission, which is investigating, said the incident was not the result of a pursuit.

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IPCC Commissioner Nicholas Long said: “We will be conducting a rigorous investigation into the circumstances surrounding the collision and our investigators have been on scene securing evidence since the early hours of this morning.”

The M1 had only just reopened after the first accident when two lorries collided on a nearby stretch of the road near junction 33 at Catcliffe at around 7am.

One of the lorry drivers, who has not yet been named, died.

Officers closed off the northbound stretch of the road between junctions 33 and 34—Catcliffe and Tinsley—until noon.

Part of the carriageway was shut to allow the air ambulance to land.

Witnesses to the smashes or anyone who saw the vehicles beforehand should call South Yorkshire Police on 0114 2202970.