An inquest has been opened into the death of Logan Smith, an 18-year-old who was Tasered by police before being struck and killed by a car on the M5 motorway in Somerset. The incident occurred on the night of 30 November after Smith left an ambulance on the hard shoulder near Weston-super-Mare.
According to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), paramedics had been transporting Smith to hospital when they became concerned and pulled over. Smith then exited the ambulance and walked onto the live lanes of the motorway. Paramedics called Avon and Somerset Police for assistance at approximately 11pm, and an officer arrived shortly thereafter.
Body-worn video footage reviewed by the IOPC shows the officer attempting to engage with Smith before deploying a Taser, causing the teenager to fall to the ground. Moments later, Smith was hit by a car travelling on the southbound carriageway and died at the scene despite emergency first aid.
Derrick Campbell, IOPC director, expressed condolences to Smith’s family and confirmed the watchdog’s independent investigation into all circumstances, including the use of the Taser. “We have taken initial accounts from the officer and ambulance staff involved,” Campbell said, adding that investigators met with the family on Tuesday.
Assistant Chief Constable Joanne Hall of Avon and Somerset Police stated that the officer had acted in an attempt to bring Smith to safety. She noted that the force had made a mandatory referral to the IOPC and would fully cooperate with the investigation. The coroner has been informed, and formal identification and a postmortem have been completed.
