A man in his 40s has died and a one-year-old girl remains in hospital with life-threatening injuries following a serious collision on the A34 near Sutton Scotney.
Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary is appealing for witnesses and dashcam footage as investigations continue into the collision, which occurred on the southbound carriageway between Upper Bullington and Worthy Down, near Sutton Scotney Services, on Friday 23 October.
Emergency services were called at approximately 3.13pm following reports that a Citroën Grand C4 Picasso, which had broken down on the carriageway, had been involved in a collision with a Mercedes Sprinter van.
Despite the efforts of emergency responders, the driver of the Citroën, a man in his 40s, was pronounced dead at the scene. His next of kin have been informed.
A woman and two children who were also travelling in the Citroën sustained injuries. One of the children, a one-year-old girl, remains in hospital in a critical condition with life-threatening injuries.
Van Driver Arrested Following Fatal Collision
The driver of the Mercedes Sprinter van, a 33-year-old man from Walsall, was arrested on suspicion of causing death by careless driving and causing serious injury by careless driving.
He has since been released on conditional bail until 4 December as officers from the Joint Operations Serious Collision Investigation Unit continue their enquiries.
Investigators are working to establish the circumstances surrounding the collision, including how long the Citroën had been stationary on the carriageway before the crash.
Police Appeal for Witnesses and Dashcam Footage
Detective Sergeant Oliver Cahill-Smith, from the Joint Operations Serious Collision Investigation Unit, expressed his condolences to those affected by the incident.
He said: “First and foremost, our thoughts are with the victims of this collision, one who has sadly died and another who is in a critical condition in hospital, and their loved ones at this extremely difficult time.
“We are carrying out a thorough investigation to establish exactly what happened. We know there were a number of motorists travelling on the A34 southbound near Sutton Scotney at the time of the collision.
“We are particularly keen to hear from anyone who saw a Citroën Picasso which had broken down prior to the collision and who witnessed the subsequent collision involving a Mercedes Sprinter van.”
Police are particularly interested in hearing from anyone who was travelling southbound on the A34 between Upper Bullington and Worthy Down between 3pm and 3.20pm on Friday 23 October.
Detective Sergeant Cahill-Smith stressed that footage showing the vehicles before the collision could be just as important as recordings of the crash itself.
He added: “Any footage showing the vehicle before the collision occurred could be just as important as footage of the collision itself.
“If you have any information, dash-cam footage, mobile phone footage, or any other digital media that may assist our investigation, please contact police as soon as possible.
“Anyone with dash-cam footage or other digital media is asked to retain the original recording and inform investigators as soon as possible.”
How to Contact Police
Anyone who witnessed the collision, saw either vehicle before the incident, or has dashcam footage from the area is urged to contact Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary.
Information can be provided by calling 101, quoting incident reference 44260520753.
Alternatively, witnesses can submit information and footage online through the police appeal: https://orlo.uk/dRHuW
The investigation remains ongoing.