The mum of a teenage girl who died after being struck by a vehicle on the M5 has paid a moving tribute to her. Tamzin Hall, 17 and from Wellington, exited a stationary police vehicle on the northbound side of motorway, near junction 25 (Taunton) at about 11pm on Monday, November 11.
Tamzin, who was on the autistic spectrum, died in a collision with a vehicle travelling southbound moments later. The Independent Office for Police Conduct is carrying out an investigation into the circumstances of what happened last week, following a mandatory referral by Avon and Somerset Police.
Amy Hall, Tamzin’s mother, described her eldest daughter as her ‘best friend’ and said her family were ‘devastated’. Amy said: “Tamzin was the most kindest, caring, loving, loyal girl ever. She was the most honest person I’ve ever known; she was very special to me.
“She had a great sense of humour, and we had many laughs together. She was my shadow from the moment she opened her eyes in the morning until she went to sleep at night. She was such an intelligent young girl and had such interesting perceptions on things in life.
“Tamzin was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, so she was unique and saw the world in such a different way. Tamzin was my absolute everything and I can’t believe she isn’t here anymore. She was my world.
“She put her all into absolutely everything. She loved helping out as a young child, if you set her a task, she would put her all into it and want it just right. She was always so thoughtful and would put others before herself. She loved the simple things in life, talking and her family. Plus, she absolutely loved chocolate – she was chocolate mad!”
Amy continued: “Tamzin was such a wonderful daughter. She was a beautiful person. My life will never be the same but I’m using my strength for my other children, Tamzin’s siblings.
“She was only 17 but she has taught me a lot and I can use that memory and hold on to that. I will never ever get over it, she was taken far too young.”
An inquest heard how Tamzin was under arrest at the time she fled the police vehicle. The student, who lived in Henlade, was travelling with two officers in an Avon and Somerset Police car when she tried to escape.
An inquest opening at Wells Town Hall heard how Tamzin got out of the car and crossed the road before climbing the crash barrier. She was then hit by a vehicle travelling on the southbound carriageway and sustained fatal head, neck and chest injuries.
Coroner’s officer Ben Batley told the hearing: “Tamzin was a passenger under arrest in a police vehicle travelling on the northbound carriageway on the M5 when it stopped for reasons yet to be established.” Mr Batley described how Tamzin then got out of the car before going across the northbound lane, climbing the barrier and making her way on to the southbound lane where she was struck.
“Her injuries were not survivable and Tamzin was declared deceased where she was found on the motorway,” he said. “Police and the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) inquiries are ongoing as to the circumstances of the collision and how Tamzin came to be where she was found.”