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CrashStats

Fatal A38 crash in the South Hams on 18 January 2008 at 17:38 involving a Volkswagen Golf

A Volkswagen Golf crashed on the A38 in the South Hams at 17:38 on Friday 18 January 2008. A 21-year-old female passenger was killed and four other people were seriously injured.

It happened after dark with no street lighting in rain and high winds on a wet dual carriageway with a 70 mph limit, away from any junction.

Severity
Fatal
Date
18 Jan 2008
Friday, 17:38
Vehicles
1
Volkswagen Golf
Casualties
5
1 killed, 4 seriously injured

Location of the crash

Police recorded the crash at latitude 50.38628, longitude -3.93978, in the PL21 postcode district. It is one of the crashes that make up the Ermington & Ugborough, South Hams, PL21 9GP area accident hotspot.

Map of where the crash happened in the South Hams

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  • 1 crash
  • Fatal

Collision details

Basic information

Reference
200850E53B363
Council area
South Hams
Police force
Devon and Cornwall
Police attended the scene
Yes
Highway authority
Devon

Road and location details

First road class
A
First road number
38
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
Raining with high winds
Road surface
Wet or damp

Enhanced collision data

How severity was recorded
Judged by the reporting police officer

The 6 nearest recorded crashes

The nearest, at the same spot, was a serious injury crash on 23 December 1983.

Vehicles involved (1)

  • Vehicle 1: Volkswagen Golf

    Car

    Manoeuvre
    Going ahead
    Travelling from
    South
    Travelling to
    North
    Position at junction
    Not at or within 20 metres of junction
    Leaving the carriageway
    Nearside
    Hit object off carriageway
    Tree
    First point of impact
    Offside
    Left-hand drive
    No
    Driver sex
    Male
    Driver age
    26 years
    Engine capacity
    1,391 cc
    Fuel or propulsion
    Petrol
    Vehicle age
    15 years

Casualties (5)

  • Casualty 1: Passenger

    Fatal

    Female, aged 21, car occupant, in vehicle 1 (Volkswagen Golf)

    Car passenger
    Rear seat passenger

  • Casualty 2: Driver

    Serious

    Male, aged 26, car occupant, in vehicle 1 (Volkswagen Golf)

  • Casualty 3: Passenger

    Serious

    Female, aged 22, car occupant, in vehicle 1 (Volkswagen Golf)

    Car passenger
    Rear seat passenger

  • Casualty 4: Passenger

    Serious

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

    Car passenger
    Rear seat passenger

  • Casualty 5: Passenger

    Serious

    Female, aged 22, car occupant, in vehicle 1 (Volkswagen Golf)

    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 200850E53B363 in the data published on GOV.UK under the Open Government Licence v3.0, and one of the crashes counted in the South Hams road accident statistics for 2008.