A woman in her 20s has died after the Smart car she was travelling in struck a parked street-cleaning vehicle in Epsom, Surrey, with police arresting the driver on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving while over the alcohol limit and uninsured.
A woman in her 20s has died after a car collided with a parked street-cleaning vehicle in Epsom, Surrey, late on Wednesday night. Surrey Police said the woman, a passenger in a black Smart car, was pronounced dead at the scene following the crash on Christ Church Road at around 11.40pm. The driver, a man in his 20s, was arrested on suspicion of several offences, including causing death by dangerous driving. Police have appealed for witnesses to come forward as their investigation continues.
What happened
According to Surrey Police, the black Smart car collided with a parked street-cleaning vehicle on Christ Church Road shortly before midnight on Wednesday last week. The female passenger, who was in her 20s, was pronounced dead at the scene. Her next of kin have been informed, and formal identification procedures are being carried out.
Arrests made
The driver, a man in his 20s, was arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving and driving over the prescribed alcohol limit. He was further arrested on suspicion of failing to provide a specimen for analysis and causing death by driving while uninsured.
Driving without insurance is a criminal offence in the UK, and where it results in a fatal collision, prosecutors can pursue the specific offence of causing death by driving while uninsured, which carries severe penalties, including imprisonment and a lengthy driving ban upon conviction. Causing death by dangerous driving is considered one of the most serious road traffic offences in England and Wales, with courts able to impose life imprisonment in the most serious cases following changes to sentencing law.
The investigation remains ongoing, and the man arrested has not been convicted of any offence at this stage. The allegations against him will continue to be considered as police carry out further enquiries.
Scene examination and road closure
Christ Church Road was closed for several hours following the crash while officers carried out their initial enquiries, before reopening shortly after 9.45am. Specialist collision investigators typically examine the scene of a fatal crash for evidence relating to vehicle speed, braking, road conditions, mechanical defects and any available CCTV or dashcam footage, in order to establish exactly how the collision occurred.
Police appeal
Surrey Police are appealing for witnesses to the crash to come forward, particularly anyone who was in the area of Christ Church Road between 11.35pm and 11.40pm on the night in question. Officers are especially keen to hear from anyone who saw the black Smart car in the moments before the collision, and are asking any motorists with relevant dashcam footage to get in touch.
