A man died on the M5 in Somerset after two vehicles collided during a rolling police road block, turning an afternoon traffic slowdown into a fatal crash and a major M5 motorway closure. Avon and Somerset Police said traffic had already been slowed because of debris when the collision happened soon afterwards at the back of the queue.
Taunton and Bridgwater
The incident began on Tuesday at around 13.10 BST between Taunton and Bridgwater, when police slowed traffic because debris was on the motorway. Soon afterwards, two vehicles collided at the rear of the line of traffic. The crash happened at the back of the rolling road block, not at the point where traffic first came to a standstill.
Avon and Somerset Police said the man died on Tuesday and that his family had been informed. The force also said it wanted to hear from any witnesses or drivers with dashcam footage. That request gives the investigation its immediate next step: building a clearer timeline of the vehicles, the queue and the moments before impact.
Somerset and forensic evidence
The motorway stayed closed in both directions between Taunton and Bridgwater for several hours. Southbound lanes remained shut for several hours, while the northbound carriageway stayed closed until midnight as specialist officers collected forensic evidence.
The sequence matters for drivers because the closure was not caused by one event alone. Traffic had already been reduced for debris, then the collision happened at the back of the queue, and police kept the route shut long enough for evidence work. For people still trying to travel that stretch, the practical step now is to avoid relying on a quick reopening and to look for alternative routes until police finish the inquiry.
The unresolved point is what put the debris on the motorway in the first place. Police have linked that debris to the rolling road block that preceded the crash, and the witness appeal now sits at the centre of finding out how the incident unfolded.
