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CrashStats

Fatal M4 crash in South Gloucestershire on 24 October 1979 at 01:47 involving a lorry

A lorry, a car and a van were involved in a crash on the M4 in South Gloucestershire at 01:47 on Wednesday 24 October 1979. A 29-year-old male pedestrian hit by the lorry was killed and six other people were seriously injured. One of the others was a pedestrian.

It happened after dark with no street lighting in fine weather on a dry dual carriageway with a 70 mph limit, away from any junction.

Severity
Fatal
Date
24 Oct 1979
Wednesday, 01:47
Vehicles
3
Lorry and 2 others
Casualties
7
1 killed, 6 seriously injured

Location of the crash

Police recorded the crash at latitude 51.50951, longitude -2.51595, in the BS16 postcode district and within the built-up area of Hambrook.

Map of where the crash happened in South Gloucestershire

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  • 1 crash
  • Fatal

Collision details

Basic information

Reference
197952EST1590
Council area
South Gloucestershire
Police force
Avon and Somerset

Road and location details

First road class
Motorway
First road number
4
Road type
Dual carriageway
Speed limit
70 mph

Junction information

Junction type
Not at junction or within 20 metres

Pedestrian crossing information

Crossing facilities
No physical crossing facility within 50 m

Environmental conditions

Light conditions
Dark, no street lighting
Weather
Fine, no high winds
Road surface
Dry

The 6 nearest recorded crashes

The nearest, at the same spot, was a fatal crash on 24 May 1996.

Vehicles involved (3)

  • Vehicle 1: Lorry

    Goods vehicle over 3.5 tonnes

    Manoeuvre
    Going ahead
    Travelling from
    South East
    Travelling to
    North West
    Hit object in carriageway
    Parked vehicle
    First point of impact
    Front
    Driver sex
    Male
    Driver age
    31 years

  • Vehicle 2: Car

    Manoeuvre
    Parked
    Travelling from
    Parked
    Travelling to
    Parked
    Lane or location
    On lay-by or hard shoulder
    Leaving the carriageway
    Nearside
    First point of impact
    Back
    Driver sex
    Male
    Driver age
    29 years

  • Vehicle 3: Van

    Van or goods vehicle up to 3.5 tonnes

    Manoeuvre
    Parked
    Travelling from
    Parked
    Travelling to
    Parked
    Lane or location
    On lay-by or hard shoulder
    Leaving the carriageway
    Nearside
    First point of impact
    Back
    Driver sex
    Male
    Driver age
    32 years

Casualties (7)

  • Casualty 1: Pedestrian

    Fatal

    Male, aged 29, hit by vehicle 1 (Lorry)

    Pedestrian location
    In carriageway, not crossing
    Pedestrian movement
    In carriageway, stationary, not crossing (standing or playing), masked by parked or stationary vehicle

  • Casualty 2: Pedestrian

    Serious

    Male, aged 28, hit by vehicle 1 (Lorry)

    Pedestrian location
    In carriageway, not crossing
    Pedestrian movement
    In carriageway, stationary, not crossing (standing or playing), masked by parked or stationary vehicle

  • Casualty 3: Passenger

    Serious

    Male, aged 36, goods vehicle occupant (over 3.5 tonnes), in vehicle 1 (Lorry)

  • Casualty 4: Passenger

    Serious

    Male, aged 38, goods vehicle occupant (over 3.5 tonnes), in vehicle 1 (Lorry)

  • Casualty 5: Passenger

    Serious

    Male, aged 32, goods vehicle occupant (over 3.5 tonnes), in vehicle 1 (Lorry)

  • Casualty 6: Driver

    Serious

    Male, aged 31, goods vehicle occupant (over 3.5 tonnes), in vehicle 1 (Lorry)

  • Casualty 7: Driver

    Serious

    Male, aged 31, goods vehicle occupant (over 3.5 tonnes), in vehicle 1 (Lorry)

Data source

This record comes from the Department for Transport’s road safety data (STATS19), in which police forces in Great Britain record every road crash reported to them where someone was injured. It is reference 197952EST1590 in the data published on GOV.UK under the Open Government Licence v3.0, and one of the crashes counted in the South Gloucestershire road accident statistics for 1979.