Investigation underway following fatal Cheshire Police pursuit

An investigation is underway following a road traffic incident in Runcorn, Cheshire, which resulted in the death of 38 year-old Keiran O’Brien.

At around 11:33pm on Wednesday 1 August, Cheshire Police followed a Peugeot 208, driven by Mr O’Brien, that failed to stop at Ashton Drive, Frodsham. Early indications are that the car was pursued for approximately 18 minutes before it crashed into a wall.

An ambulance was called and Mr O’Brien was taken to Aintree Hospital in Merseyside in a critical condition. Mr O’Brien was transferred to the Walton Centre which specialises in neurology, however on Thursday 9 August Mr O’Brien’s life support was switched off.

The incident was referred to us by Cheshire Police on Thursday 2 August and after reviewing the initial evidence provided we decided to independently investigate.

IOPC Regional Director Amanda Rowe said:

“Our investigation will look at all circumstances related to the pursuit, including the decision making by Cheshire Police and what happened during the period when the car was followed. We have gathered evidence such as dash cam footage from the police vehicles involved and have received initial accounts from the officers involved in the pursuit. We will also conduct house to house enquiries near where the incident took place.

“We have made contact with Mr O’Brien’s family to explain our role and offer our support. Our thoughts are with Mr O’Brien’s friends and family, and anyone affected by this incident. Initial discussions have also taken place with the coroner’s office and a post mortem will be carried out as soon as possible.”