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CrashStats

Serious M55 crash in Fylde on 31 March 1997 at 18:50 involving a Ford Escort

Four vehicles, including a Ford Escort and a Rover 200 Series, were involved in a crash on the M55 in Fylde at 18:50 on Monday 31 March 1997. There were ten casualties: eight people were seriously injured and two were slightly injured.

It happened in daylight in fine weather on a dry dual carriageway with a 70 mph limit, away from any junction.

Severity
Serious
Date
31 Mar 1997
Monday, 18:50
Vehicles
4
Ford Escort and 3 others
Casualties
10
8 seriously injured, 2 slightly injured

Location of the crash

Police recorded the crash at latitude 53.80314, longitude -2.81336, in the PR4 postcode district.

Map of where the crash happened in Fylde

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  • 1 crash
  • Serious

Collision details

Basic information

Reference
199704A018097
Council area
Fylde
Police force
Lancashire
Highway authority
Lancashire

Road and location details

First road class
Motorway
First road number
55
Road type
Dual carriageway
Speed limit
70 mph
Urban or rural
Rural
Trunk road
Trunk road (National Highways)

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
Daylight
Weather
Fine, no high winds
Road surface
Dry
Carriageway hazards
Involvement with previous collision

The 6 nearest recorded crashes

The nearest, at the same spot, was a slight injury crash on 22 March 1996.

Vehicles involved (4)

  • Vehicle 1: Ford Escort

    Car

    Manoeuvre
    Going ahead
    Travelling from
    West
    Travelling to
    East
    Skidding and overturning
    Skidded
    First point of impact
    Front
    Driver sex
    Male
    Driver age
    18 years
    Engine capacity
    1,597 cc
    Fuel or propulsion
    Petrol
    Vehicle age
    8 years

  • Vehicle 2: Rover 200 Series

    Car

    Manoeuvre
    Going ahead
    Travelling from
    West
    Travelling to
    East
    First point of impact
    Offside
    Driver sex
    Female
    Driver age
    35 years
    Engine capacity
    1,396 cc
    Fuel or propulsion
    Petrol
    Vehicle age
    2 years

  • Vehicle 3: Rover 600 Series

    Car

    Manoeuvre
    Going ahead
    Travelling from
    West
    Travelling to
    East
    First point of impact
    Front
    Driver sex
    Male
    Driver age
    46 years
    Engine capacity
    1,994 cc
    Fuel or propulsion
    Petrol
    Vehicle age
    3 years

  • Vehicle 4: Rover 400 Series

    Car

    Manoeuvre
    Slowing or stopping
    Travelling from
    West
    Travelling to
    East
    First point of impact
    Back
    Driver sex
    Male
    Driver age
    35 years
    Engine capacity
    1,596 cc
    Fuel or propulsion
    Petrol
    Vehicle age
    0 years

Casualties (10)

  • Casualty 1: Driver

    Serious

    Female, aged 35, car occupant, in vehicle 2 (Rover 200 Series)

  • Casualty 2: Passenger

    Serious

    Male, aged 78, car occupant, in vehicle 2 (Rover 200 Series)

    Car passenger
    Front seat passenger

  • Casualty 3: Passenger

    Slight

    Male, aged 38, car occupant, in vehicle 2 (Rover 200 Series)

    Car passenger
    Rear seat passenger

  • Casualty 4: Passenger

    Serious

    Female, aged 69, car occupant, in vehicle 2 (Rover 200 Series)

    Car passenger
    Rear seat passenger

  • Casualty 5: Passenger

    Serious

    Male, aged 69, car occupant, in vehicle 3 (Rover 600 Series)

    Car passenger
    Front seat passenger

  • Casualty 6: Passenger

    Serious

    Female, aged 68, car occupant, in vehicle 3 (Rover 600 Series)

    Car passenger
    Rear seat passenger

  • Casualty 7: Passenger

    Serious

    Female, aged 27, car occupant, in vehicle 3 (Rover 600 Series)

    Car passenger
    Rear seat passenger

  • Casualty 8: Passenger

    Serious

    Female, aged 33, car occupant, in vehicle 4 (Rover 400 Series)

    Car passenger
    Rear seat passenger

  • Casualty 9: Passenger

    Serious

    Male, aged 9, car occupant, in vehicle 4 (Rover 400 Series)

    Car passenger
    Rear seat passenger

  • Casualty 10: Passenger

    Slight

    Female, aged 8, car occupant, in vehicle 4 (Rover 400 Series)

    Car passenger
    Rear seat passenger

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 199704A018097 in the data published on GOV.UK under the Open Government Licence v3.0, and one of the crashes counted in the Fylde road accident statistics for 1997.