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CrashStats

Fatal M65 crash in Chorley on 20 December 1997 at 19:07 involving a Volkswagen Golf

Five vehicles, including a Volkswagen Golf and a Mercedes 200, were involved in a crash on the M65 in Chorley at 19:07 on Saturday 20 December 1997. A 28-year-old female pedestrian hit by the Volkswagen Golf was killed, two other people were seriously injured and one was slightly injured.

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

Severity
Fatal
Date
20 Dec 1997
Saturday, 19:07
Vehicles
5
Volkswagen Golf and 4 others
Casualties
4
1 killed, 2 seriously injured, 1 slightly injured

Location of the crash

Police recorded the crash at latitude 53.78908, longitude -2.41692, in the BB6 postcode district.

Map of where the crash happened in Chorley

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  • 1 crash
  • Fatal

Collision details

Basic information

Reference
199704C077397
Council area
Chorley
Police force
Lancashire
Highway authority
Lancashire

Road and location details

First road class
Motorway
First road number
65
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
Dark, no street lighting
Weather
Fine, no high winds
Road surface
Wet or damp
Carriageway hazards
Involvement with previous collision

The 6 nearest recorded crashes

The nearest, at the same spot, was a slight injury crash on 11 July 1998.

Vehicles involved (5)

  • Vehicle 1: Volkswagen Golf

    Car

    Manoeuvre
    Changing lane to right
    Travelling from
    East
    Travelling to
    West
    Skidding and overturning
    Skidded
    First point of impact
    Front
    Driver sex
    Female
    Driver age
    49 years
    Engine capacity
    1,896 cc
    Fuel or propulsion
    Diesel
    Vehicle age
    0 years

  • Vehicle 2: Mercedes 200

    Car

    Manoeuvre
    Going ahead
    Travelling from
    East
    Travelling to
    West
    First point of impact
    Front
    Driver sex
    Male
    Driver age
    45 years
    Engine capacity
    1,997 cc
    Fuel or propulsion
    Petrol
    Vehicle age
    8 years

  • Vehicle 3: Mercedes

    Van or goods vehicle up to 3.5 tonnes

    Manoeuvre
    Going ahead
    Travelling from
    East
    Travelling to
    West
    First point of impact
    Front
    Driver sex
    Male
    Driver age
    45 years
    Engine capacity
    3,972 cc
    Fuel or propulsion
    Diesel
    Vehicle age
    3 years

  • Vehicle 4: Ford Fiesta

    Car

    Manoeuvre
    Going ahead
    Travelling from
    East
    Travelling to
    West
    First point of impact
    Front
    Driver sex
    Male
    Driver age
    23 years
    Engine capacity
    1,117 cc
    Fuel or propulsion
    Petrol
    Vehicle age
    6 years

  • Vehicle 5: Ford Fiesta

    Car

    Manoeuvre
    Going ahead
    Travelling from
    East
    Travelling to
    West
    Skidding and overturning
    Skidded
    Hit object in carriageway
    Previous accident
    First point of impact
    Front
    Driver sex
    Male
    Driver age
    37 years
    Engine capacity
    1,753 cc
    Fuel or propulsion
    Diesel
    Vehicle age
    4 years

Casualties (4)

  • Casualty 1: Pedestrian

    Fatal

    Female, aged 28, hit by vehicle 1 (Volkswagen Golf)

    Pedestrian location
    In carriageway, not crossing
    Pedestrian movement
    Walking along in carriageway, back to traffic

  • Casualty 2: Driver

    Serious

    Male, aged 37, car occupant, in vehicle 5 (Ford Fiesta)

  • Casualty 3: Passenger

    Serious

    Female, aged 43, car occupant, in vehicle 1 (Volkswagen Golf)

    Car passenger
    Front seat passenger

  • Casualty 4: Driver

    Slight

    Female, aged 49, car occupant, in vehicle 1 (Volkswagen Golf)

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 199704C077397 in the data published on GOV.UK under the Open Government Licence v3.0, and one of the crashes counted in the Chorley road accident statistics for 1997.