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CrashStats

Fatal A11 crash in West Suffolk on 3 December 1997 at 16:50 involving a Ford Escort

A Ford Escort, a Scania lorry and a BMW 5 Series were involved in a crash on the A11 in West Suffolk at 16:50 on Wednesday 3 December 1997. The 57-year-old female driver of the Ford Escort was killed, the 31-year-old male driver of the BMW 5 Series was seriously injured and a 48-year-old male passenger in the Ford Escort was slightly injured.

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

Severity
Fatal
Date
3 Dec 1997
Wednesday, 16:50
Vehicles
3
Ford Escort and 2 others
Casualties
3
1 killed, 1 seriously injured, 1 slightly injured

Location of the crash

Police recorded the crash at latitude 52.34025, longitude 0.54051, in the IP28 postcode district. The location was in the former Forest Heath district.

Map of where the crash happened in West Suffolk

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  • 1 crash
  • Fatal

Collision details

Basic information

Reference
199737B002315
Council area
West Suffolk
Police force
Suffolk
Highway authority
Suffolk

Road and location details

First road class
A
First road number
11
Road type
Single carriageway
Speed limit
60 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

The 6 nearest recorded crashes

The nearest, 10 metres away, was a slight injury crash on 30 August 2005.

Vehicles involved (3)

  • Vehicle 1: Ford Escort

    Car

    Manoeuvre
    Going ahead
    Travelling from
    North East
    Travelling to
    South West
    First point of impact
    Front
    Driver sex
    Female
    Driver age
    57 years
    Engine capacity
    1,597 cc
    Fuel or propulsion
    Petrol
    Vehicle age
    1 year

  • Vehicle 2: Scania

    Goods vehicle over 3.5 tonnes

    Manoeuvre
    Going ahead
    Travelling from
    South West
    Travelling to
    North East
    First point of impact
    Offside
    Driver sex
    Male
    Driver age
    36 years
    Engine capacity
    8,970 cc
    Fuel or propulsion
    Diesel
    Vehicle age
    0 years

  • Vehicle 3: BMW 5 Series

    Car

    Manoeuvre
    Going ahead
    Travelling from
    South West
    Travelling to
    North East
    First point of impact
    Front
    Driver sex
    Male
    Driver age
    31 years
    Engine capacity
    2,494 cc
    Fuel or propulsion
    Petrol
    Vehicle age
    3 years

Casualties (3)

  • Casualty 1: Driver

    Fatal

    Female, aged 57, car occupant, in vehicle 1 (Ford Escort)

  • Casualty 2: Driver

    Serious

    Male, aged 31, car occupant, in vehicle 3 (BMW 5 Series)

  • Casualty 3: Passenger

    Slight

    Male, aged 48, car occupant, in vehicle 1 (Ford Escort)

    Car passenger
    Front 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 199737B002315 in the data published on GOV.UK under the Open Government Licence v3.0, and one of the crashes counted in the West Suffolk road accident statistics for 1997.