A1 crash: Man, 20, charged over horror accident that saw seven police officers rushed to hospital
A man has been charged with dangerous driving following a pursuit earlier this month, which resulted in seven police officers being injured and several vehicles damaged.On April 9, seven police officers were taken to hospital after being injured in a collision during a pursuit early in the morning, which caused the closure of the A1 in Tyne and Wear in both directions between J73 (Swalwell) and J75 (Denton).A 20-year-old man has been charged with dangerous driving, two counts of failing to stop, two counts of no insurance, and two counts of driving otherwise than in accordance with licence.Northumbria Police confirmed he had also been charged with a further four counts of driving otherwise than in accordance with licence and four counts of no insurance use.Do you have a story you'd like to share? Get in touch by emailingmotoring@gbnews.ukSeven police officers were taken to hospital in the aftermath of the accident on the A1 PAThe man, of Sylvia Terrace, Durham, will appear at Newcastle Magistrates' Court on Saturday, April 19, 2025.A woman in her 20s, who was arrested on suspicion of aiding and abetting dangerous driving, was released with no further action in relation to the arrest.Images from the scene showed police vehicles and car parts strewn across the road, including a crushed police car and a black BMW on its side against the central reservation.All seven police officers have now been discharged from hospital, while a police spokesperson said the two occupants of the BMW had escaped uninjured.READ MORE: A1 traffic: Horror five-vehicle crash causes hours-long closure of major road with seven police officers rushed to hospitalThe man charged with dangerous driving will appear in court tomorrow PASpeaking at the time of the incident, a spokesperson for the North East Ambulance Service confirmed that an accident had taken place.They added: "We received a call at 2.29am on Wednesday, April 9, to reports of a road traffic collision on the A1 northbound near Denton, Newcastle."We dispatched five ambulance crews, a specialist paramedic, a duty officer, two crews from our Hazardous Area Response Team (HART) and requested support from our colleagues at the Great North Air Ambulance Service (GNAAS) who attended by road."Five patients were transported to hospital for further treatment."The crash forced the A1 to close for more than 12 hours, with traffic officers removing glass and debris from the road before it could reopen.National Highways also warned that drivers could be caught up in additional traffic since there was no official diversion route for that section of the A1, prompting local roads to become heavily congested.In a comment on social media site X, formerly known as Twitter, the police force said: "We'd like to thank everyone for their ongoing support as our officers continue to recover from their injuries."With legal proceedings live, it's important everyone refrains from speculating both online and in the community, as it could have a negative impact on the case."LATEST DEVELOPMENTS:Seven police officers were taken to hospital following the accident PAThere was particular concern at the time as the A1 carriageway below the roundabout was famously the scene of a devastating and notorious Raoul Moat attack in 2010.On July 4, 2010, PC David Rathband was shot by Moat and suffered injuries to his head and upper body, leaving him blind. Rathband struggled to cope in the following years and died in 2012.
