Man in his 60s left fighting for life after being hit by an unmarked police car
A man in his 60s is in a critical condition after he was hit by an unmarked police car near Kempston in Bedfordshire on Thursday.
The collision, which occurred near the Marsh Leys roundabout along the slip road onto the A421, took place at around 2am.
Emergency services rushed to the scene, where they took the injured party to hospital.
The man is now being treated for his injuries and remains in critical condition.
Following the incident, Bedfordshire Police closed the carriageway in both directions and reopened it at approximately 11am later that morning.
Bedfordshire Police has launched an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the accident, referring the case to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) as standard protocol requires in the case of “a death or serious injury involving contact with the police”.
The force has confirmed that the unmarked car was not responding to an incident nor was it “engaged in a pursuit” when the crash took place.
Officers have expressed interest in speaking to witnesses and obtaining footage of the incident.
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Detective Sergeant Shona Birkby from the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Serious Collision Investigations Unit, said: “We are appealing to anyone who witnessed this collision or saw a person walking along the A421 around this time to contact us and help us with our investigation.
“We are particularly keen to hear from anyone who was travelling in the area at the time and captured any footage on their dashcam.”
The force has assured the public that the man’s next of kin has been informed and is currently being supported by specialist-trained officers.
Police have requested individuals with information or footage call 101 or report online at https://orlo.uk/ltG2Y, quoting Operation Vollans.
Responding to the news online, members of the community shared their well wishes with the injured party as well as the police officer involved in the collision.
Cases when an individual dies or is seriously injured during contact with the police are referred to the IOPC to conduct a full investigation in the hopes of preserving public confidence in their local police force.
In its most recent report published on October 17, the independent body reported 29 fatal police-related road traffic incidents, which resulted in 32 deaths between 1 April 2023 and 31 March 2024.
This year saw an increase in fatalities from the previous year, which was 28.