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CrashStats

Fatal M5 crash in Mid Devon on 18 September 2025 at 23:11 involving a Volkswagen Transporter van

Four vehicles, including a Volkswagen Transporter van and a Toyota Prius taxi, were involved in a crash on the M5 in Mid Devon at 23:11 on Thursday 18 September 2025. The 39-year-old male driver of the Toyota Prius taxi was killed and four other people were slightly injured.

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

Severity
Fatal
Date
18 Sep 2025
Thursday, 23:11
Vehicles
4
Volkswagen Transporter and 3 others
Casualties
5
1 killed, 4 slightly injured

Location of the crash

Police recorded the crash at latitude 50.89211, longitude -3.37639, in the EX15 postcode district and within the built-up area of Willand. It is one of the crashes that make up the Lower Culm, Mid Devon, EX15 2QH area accident hotspot.

Map of where the crash happened in Mid Devon

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  • 1 crash
  • Fatal

Collision details

Basic information

Reference
2025501643611
Council area
Mid Devon
Police force
Devon and Cornwall
Police attended the scene
Yes
Highway authority
Devon

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
Raining, no high winds
Road surface
Wet or damp

Enhanced collision data

How severity was recorded
From injuries recorded by police (CRASH system)

The 6 nearest recorded crashes

The nearest, 10 metres away, was a slight injury crash on 10 March 1995.

Vehicles involved (4)

  • Vehicle 1: Volkswagen Transporter

    Van or goods vehicle up to 3.5 tonnes

    Manoeuvre
    Going ahead
    Travelling from
    North East
    Travelling to
    South West
    Position at junction
    Not at or within 20 metres of junction
    First point of impact
    Front
    Left-hand drive
    No
    Driver sex
    Male
    Driver age
    43 years
    Driver home area deprivation
    40 to 50% least deprived
    Distance from driver's home
    Within 5 km

  • Vehicle 2: Toyota Prius

    Taxi or private hire car

    Manoeuvre
    Going ahead
    Travelling from
    North East
    Travelling to
    South West
    Position at junction
    Not at or within 20 metres of junction
    First point of impact
    Back
    Left-hand drive
    No
    Journey purpose
    Personal business or leisure
    Driver sex
    Male
    Driver age
    39 years
    Engine capacity
    1,797 cc
    Fuel or propulsion
    Hybrid electric
    Driver home area deprivation
    10% most deprived
    Distance from driver's home
    20 to 100 km

  • Vehicle 3: Land Rover Discovery

    Car

    Manoeuvre
    Going ahead
    Travelling from
    North East
    Travelling to
    South West
    Position at junction
    Not at or within 20 metres of junction
    First point of impact
    Back
    Left-hand drive
    No
    Journey purpose
    Personal business or leisure
    Driver sex
    Male
    Driver age
    64 years
    Engine capacity
    1,999 cc
    Fuel or propulsion
    Diesel
    Driver home area deprivation
    10% least deprived
    Distance from driver's home
    20 to 100 km

  • Vehicle 4: Kia Xceed

    Car

    Manoeuvre
    Going ahead
    Travelling from
    North East
    Travelling to
    South West
    Position at junction
    Not at or within 20 metres of junction
    First point of impact
    Back
    Left-hand drive
    No
    Journey purpose
    Personal business or leisure
    Driver sex
    Male
    Driver age
    34 years
    Engine capacity
    998 cc
    Fuel or propulsion
    Petrol
    Driver home area deprivation
    10% most deprived
    Distance from driver's home
    20 to 100 km

Casualties (5)

  • Casualty 1: Driver

    Slight

    Male, aged 43, van occupant, in vehicle 1 (Volkswagen Transporter)

    Home area deprivation
    40 to 50% least deprived
    Distance from home
    Within 5 km

  • Casualty 2: Driver

    Fatal

    Male, aged 39, taxi or private hire car occupant, in vehicle 2 (Toyota Prius)

    Home area deprivation
    10% most deprived
    Distance from home
    20 to 100 km

  • Casualty 3: Driver

    Slight

    Male, aged 64, car occupant, in vehicle 3 (Land Rover Discovery)

    Home area deprivation
    10% least deprived
    Distance from home
    20 to 100 km

  • Casualty 4: Passenger

    Slight

    Female, aged 33, car occupant, in vehicle 3 (Land Rover Discovery)

    Car passenger
    Rear seat passenger
    Home area deprivation
    10% least deprived
    Distance from home
    20 to 100 km

  • Casualty 5: Passenger

    Slight

    Female, aged 36, taxi or private hire car occupant, in vehicle 2 (Toyota Prius)

    Car passenger
    Front seat passenger
    Home area deprivation
    10% most deprived
    Distance from home
    20 to 100 km

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 2025501643611 in the data published on GOV.UK under the Open Government Licence v3.0, and one of the crashes counted in the Mid Devon road accident statistics for 2025.