Multiple people died after a three-vehicle crash on Teesside in the early hours of Saturday. Cleveland Police said the collision involved a police vehicle and a Volkswagen Passat on the A66 in South Bank, near Middlesbrough, at about 3:39 am.
North East Ambulance Service sent 14 units to the scene. The response included ambulance crews, a specialist paramedic, a hazardous area response team and a doctor from Great North Air Ambulance Service, and a North East Ambulance Service spokesperson said that a number of patients died at the scene.
A66 and Normanby Road
Cleveland Police said the A66 was closed in both directions between Normanby Road and Church Lane in Eston and would remain closed for some time. For drivers, the practical effect is immediate: the route is not available through that stretch, and traffic will need to stay away from the closure while the scene remains in place.
Police also said they were working to identify the victims and contact their families. That leaves the road closure tied directly to the wider response on Teesside, where investigators and ambulance crews are dealing with the aftermath at the same time.
South Bank collision
The crash began as a collision involving a police vehicle and a Volkswagen Passat, then became a three-vehicle crash on the A66. Another Teesside case heard in court shows how quickly road incidents can become matters for both emergency crews and investigators.
Cleveland Police asked the public to avoid speculation while it dealt with the identification process and family contact. The unanswered issue is what caused the collision on the A66 and how the police vehicle became involved, and that is what the inquiry now has to establish.
