Fatal M20 crash in Ashford on 16 December 1998 at 06:56 involving a lorry
21 vehicles, including five lorries and three vans, were involved in a crash on the M20 in Ashford at 06:56 on Wednesday 16 December 1998. The 53-year-old male driver of vehicle 2 and the 48-year-old male driver of vehicle 3 were killed, two other people were seriously injured and six were slightly injured.
It happened after dark with no street lighting in fog or mist on a wet dual carriageway with a 70 mph limit, away from any junction.
- Severity
- Fatal
- Date
- 16 Dec 1998
- Wednesday, 06:56
- Vehicles
- 21
- Lorry and 20 others
- Casualties
- 10
- 2 killed, 2 seriously injured, 6 slightly injured
Location of the crash
Police recorded the crash at latitude 51.15765, longitude 0.87461, in the TN24 postcode district.
Map of where the crash happened in Ashford
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- 1 crash
- Fatal
Collision details
Basic information
- Reference
- 199846WL08482
- Council area
- Ashford
- Police force
- Kent
- Highway authority
- Kent
Road and location details
- First road class
- Motorway
- First road number
- 20
- Road type
- Dual carriageway
- Speed limit
- 70 mph
- Urban or rural
- Urban
- Trunk road
- Trunk road (National Highways)
Junction information
- Junction type
- Not at junction or within 20 metres
- Junction control
- Give way or uncontrolled
- Second road class
- Motorway
- Second road number
- 20
Pedestrian crossing information
- Crossing facilities
- No physical crossing facility within 50 m
Environmental conditions
- Light conditions
- Dark, no street lighting
- Weather
- Fog or mist
- Road surface
- Wet or damp
- Carriageway hazards
- Other object in carriageway
The 6 nearest recorded crashes
The nearest, 10 metres away, was a slight injury crash on 19 July 2002.
Slight
Citroen Xsara crash on the M20 in Ashford, 19 July 2002
10 m awayRef 200246WL60906
Slight
Vauxhall Cavalier crash on the M20 in Ashford, 19 March 2004
14 m awayRef 200446WL91784
Serious
Minibus crash on the M20 in Ashford, 14 August 1999
28 m awayRef 199946WL05089
Serious
Ford Transit Connect crash on the M20 in Ashford, 17 September 2016
30 m awayRef 2016460109174
Slight
Renault Captur crash on the M20 in Ashford, 27 July 2020
36 m awayRef 2020460969139
Slight
Hyundai i30 crash on the M20 in Ashford, 15 December 2016
43 m awayRef 2016460142367
Vehicles involved (21)
Vehicle 1: Lorry
Goods vehicle over 3.5 tonnes
- Towing and articulation
- Articulated vehicle
- Manoeuvre
- Parked
- Travelling from
- Parked
- Travelling to
- Parked
- Lane or location
- On lay-by or hard shoulder
- First point of impact
- Back
- Driver sex
- Male
- Driver age
- 46 years
Vehicle 2: Lorry
Goods vehicle over 3.5 tonnes
- Towing and articulation
- Articulated vehicle
- Manoeuvre
- Going ahead
- Travelling from
- South East
- Travelling to
- North West
- First point of impact
- Front
- Driver sex
- Male
- Driver age
- 53 years
Vehicle 3: Van
Van or goods vehicle up to 3.5 tonnes
- Manoeuvre
- Slowing or stopping
- Travelling from
- South East
- Travelling to
- North West
- First point of impact
- Front
- Driver sex
- Male
- Driver age
- 48 years
Vehicle 4: Van
Van or goods vehicle up to 3.5 tonnes
- Manoeuvre
- Slowing or stopping
- Travelling from
- South East
- Travelling to
- North West
- First point of impact
- Front
- Driver sex
- Male
- Driver age
- 39 years
Vehicle 5: Minibus
Minibus or motor caravan
- Manoeuvre
- Slowing or stopping
- Travelling from
- South East
- Travelling to
- North West
- Skidding and overturning
- Overturned
- First point of impact
- Front
- Driver sex
- Male
- Driver age
- 35 years
Vehicle 6: Car
- Manoeuvre
- Overtaking stationary vehicle on its offside
- Travelling from
- South East
- Travelling to
- North West
- First point of impact
- Front
- Driver sex
- Male
- Driver age
- 37 years
Vehicle 7: Car
- Manoeuvre
- Slowing or stopping
- Travelling from
- South East
- Travelling to
- North West
- First point of impact
- Front
- Driver sex
- Male
Vehicle 8: Lorry
Goods vehicle over 3.5 tonnes
- Towing and articulation
- Articulated vehicle
- Manoeuvre
- Slowing or stopping
- Travelling from
- South East
- Travelling to
- North West
- First point of impact
- Offside
- Driver sex
- Male
- Driver age
- 40 years
Vehicle 9: Car
- Manoeuvre
- Slowing or stopping
- Travelling from
- South East
- Travelling to
- North West
- First point of impact
- Front
- Driver sex
- Male
- Driver age
- 59 years
Vehicle 10: Car
- Manoeuvre
- Slowing or stopping
- Travelling from
- South East
- Travelling to
- North West
- First point of impact
- Nearside
- Driver sex
- Female
- Driver age
- 33 years
Vehicle 11: Car
- Manoeuvre
- Going ahead
- Travelling from
- South East
- Travelling to
- North West
- First point of impact
- Back
- Driver sex
- Male
- Driver age
- 58 years
Vehicle 12: Other vehicle
- Towing and articulation
- Single trailer
- Manoeuvre
- Going ahead
- Travelling from
- South East
- Travelling to
- North West
- First point of impact
- Offside
- Driver sex
- Male
- Driver age
- 40 years
Vehicle 13: Lorry
Goods vehicle over 3.5 tonnes
- Towing and articulation
- Articulated vehicle
- Manoeuvre
- Slowing or stopping
- Travelling from
- South East
- Travelling to
- North West
- First point of impact
- Back
- Driver sex
- Male
- Driver age
- 32 years
Vehicle 14: Lorry
Goods vehicle over 3.5 tonnes
- Towing and articulation
- Articulated vehicle
- Manoeuvre
- Going ahead
- Travelling from
- South East
- Travelling to
- North West
- First point of impact
- Front
- Driver sex
- Male
- Driver age
- 51 years
Vehicle 15: Car
- Manoeuvre
- Slowing or stopping
- Travelling from
- South East
- Travelling to
- North West
- First point of impact
- Back
- Driver sex
- Male
- Driver age
- 27 years
Vehicle 16: Car
- Manoeuvre
- Slowing or stopping
- Travelling from
- South East
- Travelling to
- North West
- First point of impact
- Back
- Driver sex
- Male
- Driver age
- 46 years
Vehicle 17: Car
- Manoeuvre
- Slowing or stopping
- Travelling from
- South East
- Travelling to
- North West
- First point of impact
- Front
- Driver sex
- Male
- Driver age
- 61 years
Vehicle 18: Car
- Manoeuvre
- Slowing or stopping
- Travelling from
- South East
- Travelling to
- North West
- First point of impact
- Back
- Driver sex
- Male
- Driver age
- 43 years
Vehicle 19: Other vehicle
- Manoeuvre
- Slowing or stopping
- Travelling from
- South East
- Travelling to
- North West
- First point of impact
- Front
- Driver sex
- Male
- Driver age
- 40 years
Vehicle 20: Car
- Manoeuvre
- Slowing or stopping
- Travelling from
- South East
- Travelling to
- North West
- First point of impact
- Front
- Driver sex
- Male
- Driver age
- 64 years
Vehicle 21: Van
Van or goods vehicle up to 3.5 tonnes
- Manoeuvre
- Slowing or stopping
- Travelling from
- South East
- Travelling to
- North West
- First point of impact
- Offside
- Driver sex
- Male
- Driver age
- 37 years
Casualties (10)
Casualty 1: Driver
SlightMale, aged 46, goods vehicle occupant (over 3.5 tonnes), in vehicle 1 (Lorry)
Casualty 2: Driver
FatalMale, aged 53, goods vehicle occupant (over 3.5 tonnes), in vehicle 2 (Lorry)
Casualty 3: Driver
FatalMale, aged 48, van occupant, in vehicle 3 (Van)
Casualty 4: Driver
SlightMale, aged 39, van occupant, in vehicle 4 (Van)
Casualty 5: Passenger
SlightMale, van occupant, in vehicle 4 (Van)
Casualty 6: Driver
SeriousMale, aged 35, minibus or motor caravan occupant, in vehicle 5 (Minibus)
Casualty 7: Driver
SeriousMale, aged 37, car occupant, in vehicle 6 (Car)
Casualty 8: Driver
SlightMale, car occupant, in vehicle 7 (Car)
Casualty 9: Driver
SlightMale, aged 59, car occupant, in vehicle 9 (Car)
Casualty 10: Driver
SlightMale, aged 58, car occupant, in vehicle 11 (Car)
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 199846WL08482 in the data published on GOV.UK under the Open Government Licence v3.0, and one of the crashes counted in the Ashford road accident statistics for 1998.