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CrashStats

Fatal M5 crash in Somerset on 24 November 2005 at 20:08 involving a Ford Focus

A car and a Ford Focus were involved in a crash on the M5 in Somerset at 20:08 on Thursday 24 November 2005. The 44-year-old male driver of the car was killed, one other person was seriously injured and two were slightly injured.

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

Severity
Fatal
Date
24 Nov 2005
Thursday, 20:08
Vehicles
2
Car and Ford Focus
Casualties
4
1 killed, 1 seriously injured, 2 slightly injured

Location of the crash

Police recorded the crash at latitude 50.97763, longitude -3.14209, in the TA3 postcode district. The location was in the former Somerset West and Taunton district.

Map of where the crash happened in Somerset

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  • 1 crash
  • Fatal

Collision details

Basic information

Reference
2005520154717
Council area
Somerset
Police force
Avon and Somerset
Police attended the scene
Yes

Road and location details

First road class
Motorway
First road number
5
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
Snowing, no high winds
Road surface
Snow

Enhanced collision data

How severity was recorded
Judged by the reporting police officer

The 6 nearest recorded crashes

The nearest, 19 metres away, was a slight injury crash on 30 June 2025.

Vehicles involved (2)

  • Vehicle 1: Car

    Manoeuvre
    Overtaking moving vehicle on its offside
    Travelling from
    South West
    Travelling to
    North East
    Position at junction
    Not at or within 20 metres of junction
    Skidding and overturning
    Skidded and overturned
    Leaving the carriageway
    Nearside
    Hit object off carriageway
    Nearside or offside crash barrier
    First point of impact
    Front
    Left-hand drive
    No
    Journey purpose
    Other or not known
    Driver sex
    Male
    Driver age
    44 years

  • Vehicle 2: Ford Focus

    Car

    Manoeuvre
    Going ahead
    Travelling from
    South West
    Travelling to
    North East
    Position at junction
    Not at or within 20 metres of junction
    First point of impact
    Offside
    Left-hand drive
    No
    Journey purpose
    Other or not known
    Driver sex
    Male
    Driver age
    34 years
    Engine capacity
    1,796 cc
    Fuel or propulsion
    Petrol
    Vehicle age
    6 years

Casualties (4)

  • Casualty 1: Driver

    Fatal

    Male, aged 44, car occupant, in vehicle 1 (Car)

  • Casualty 2: Passenger

    Slight

    Male, aged 27, car occupant, in vehicle 1 (Car)

    Car passenger
    Rear seat passenger

  • Casualty 3: Passenger

    Slight

    Male, aged 26, car occupant, in vehicle 1 (Car)

    Car passenger
    Front seat passenger

  • Casualty 4: Passenger

    Serious

    Male, aged 30, car occupant, in vehicle 1 (Car)

    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 2005520154717 in the data published on GOV.UK under the Open Government Licence v3.0, and one of the crashes counted in the Somerset road accident statistics for 2005.