Two police officers died from head and neck injuries after their marked vehicle was hit by a car travelling the wrong way down a dual carriageway, an inquest opening has heard.
Pc Matthew Blades, 37, and Pc Tom Clough, 38, died in a head-on collision on the A66 near Middlesbrough on Saturday, August 22. Inquests into their deaths were opened and adjourned at Teesside Coroner's Court on Thursday, August 27.
Identification and Cause of Death
In consecutive hearings, coroner Paul Appleton said Pc Blades was identified by his wife, and Pc Clough by his partner. The provisional cause of death was given as head and neck injuries for Pc Blades, and neck injuries for Pc Clough.
Collision Details
Mr Appleton said that in the early hours of August 22 there was a collision on the A66 at South Bank between a police vehicle and a Volkswagen Passat. He told the hearing that "all occupants of both vehicles were sadly pronounced dead at the scene".
Mr Appleton said: "At this stage it is understood that there had been a police pursuit of the Volkswagen Passat. It entered the A66 carriageway against the flow of traffic, at which stage the pursuit was aborted.
"A short time after … the Volkswagen Passat collided with a police vehicle, which had not been directly involved in the prior pursuit."
Further Inquests
In the afternoon, inquests were due to open into the deaths of Cole Worthy, 17, Theo Rae, 17, Makai Saddington, 18, and 23-year-olds Michael Robert Cahill and Jacob Matusiak – who were in the Passat and pronounced dead at the scene.
