Pensioner dies in crash while driving the wrong way down the A1

Car driven southbound on northbound carriageway crashed into a number of other vehicles, with two people taken to hospital as a result

Northumbria Police issued a statement appealing for witnesses after an 84-year-old woman crashed and died while driving the wrong way down the A1 (NORTHUMBRIA POLICE)

An 84-year-old woman has died after she crashed into a number of cars while driving the wrong way down the A1.

The woman, who has not yet been named, was going southbound on the northbound side of the major dual-carriageway road when she hit several vehicles and then the central reservation near Morpeth, Northumberland.

Police were called just after 3.50pm on Saturday afternoon by witnesses who had seen a car going past the wrong way.

Northumbria Police said that minutes later they received further calls saying the car had crashed into the barrier between the carriageways. They, the fire and ambulance services all attended the crash site, but the woman was pronounced dead at the scene.

A statement from Northumbria Police said she cannot be named because family members are still yet to be informed.

No one else has died in the incident, but a 51-year-old man from one of the other vehicles hit had to be airlifted to hospital with severe injuries, and remains there in a serious condition.

A 52-year-old female passenger in the same car was taken to hospital by ambulance, where her condition is described as serious but not life-threatening.

Police said a number of other vehicles were also struck in the incident, but these crashes resulted in only minor injuries and damage.

The road was closed for some four hours after the crash while police investigated, and inquiries are ongoing. Northumbria Police appealed to anyone with information relating to the incident to contact them on 101.