IOPC investigates death after police pursuit

A man who suffered serious head injuries when his car crashed into a house during a police pursuit has died. The unnamed 22-year-old was driving a Toyota Auris when it hit the property in the Queensbury district of Bradford, before striking a garden wall, a few minutes before midnight on Friday (February 9). West Yorkshire Police said the car had earlier failed to stop for officers and was being pursued. The motorist was taken to Leeds General Infirmary after the accident. Officers said he died of his injuries in hospital on Saturday evening (February 10). The force referred the incident to Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) which has launched an investigation. An IOPC spokesperson said: “We understand, at this time, that the man was driving a car and failed to stop for West Yorkshire Police in the Queensbury area shortly before midnight on Friday when it collided with a house in Smithy Fold. “The man, who was in his 20s, and the only person in the car, was seriously injured and later died in hospital. “We deployed investigators to the scene and to post-incident procedures.” The living room of the house was badly damaged as a result of the collision. Janet Martin, 73, the only occupant, said she was “lucky to be alive” as she had only just got into bed when the accident occurred. She added: “I had been in the living room only minutes before. If I had still been in there I wouldn’t be talking now because I may not be alive.”