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CrashStats

Fatal A39 crash in North Devon on 1 April 1985 at 19:45 involving a lorry

A lorry crashed on the A39 in North Devon at 19:45 on Monday 1 April 1985. The 22-year-old male driver and a 15-year-old male passenger were killed.

It happened after dark with no street lighting on a wet single carriageway with a 60 mph limit, away from any junction.

Severity
Fatal
Date
1 Apr 1985
Monday, 19:45
Vehicles
1
Lorry
Casualties
2
2 killed

Location of the crash

Police recorded the crash at latitude 51.23087, longitude -3.8265, in the EX35 postcode district.

Map of where the crash happened in North Devon

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  • 1 crash
  • Fatal

Collision details

Basic information

Reference
198550C320089
Council area
North Devon
Police force
Devon and Cornwall

Road and location details

First road class
A
First road number
39
Road type
Single carriageway
Speed limit
60 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
Road surface
Wet or damp

The 6 nearest recorded crashes

The nearest, 10 metres away, was a serious injury crash on 7 December 1981.

Vehicles involved (1)

  • Vehicle 1: Lorry

    Goods vehicle over 3.5 tonnes

    Manoeuvre
    Going ahead
    Travelling from
    East
    Travelling to
    South West
    Skidding and overturning
    Skidded
    Leaving the carriageway
    Offside
    Hit object off carriageway
    Other permanent object
    First point of impact
    Front
    Driver sex
    Male
    Driver age
    22 years

Casualties (2)

  • Casualty 1: Driver

    Fatal

    Male, aged 22, goods vehicle occupant (over 3.5 tonnes), in vehicle 1 (Lorry)

  • Casualty 2: Passenger

    Fatal

    Male, aged 15, 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 198550C320089 in the data published on GOV.UK under the Open Government Licence v3.0, and one of the crashes counted in the North Devon road accident statistics for 1985.