Two Yorkshire police forces face inquiries after road accidents

The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) said it would oversee inquiries into how North Yorkshire Police responded to four 999 calls about a man seen walking along a dual carriageway and was later knocked down by a car.

It is the fourth IPCC investigation involving North Yorkshire Police to be launched in five weeks.

The watchdog will also investigate a crash on the M1 yesterday which involved six vehicles, including two unmarked South Yorkshire Police cars, and left seven people injured.

The most seriously hurt was an 11-year-old boy who was taken to Leeds General Infirmary following the pile-up, which happened yesterday at about 12.30am on the motorway's northbound carriageway near junction 34 at Meadowhall.

North Yorkshire Police contacted the IPCC after a 36-year-old man was hit by a car on the A64 near Grimston Bar, York, on April 11. Earlier that evening, officers had been to advise the man after a motorist called 999 to report almost hitting him as he walked beside the road.

Police received two further 999 calls about the man at about 6.25pm and 6.55pm, but officers were unable to find him.

A fourth call was received at 10.55pm, but the man was knocked down before police arrived.

He suffered serious injuries and is recovering in a hospital in York.

The IPCC is to manage the investigation, which will be carried out by North Yorkshire Police's professional standards department.

IPCC commissioner Nicholas Long said: "The investigation will examine the appropriateness of the police response to the telephone calls from concerned members of the public.

"We will want to determine whether anything could or should have been done differently."

North Yorkshire Police's head of professional standards, Steve Read, said it had referred the incident to the IPCC voluntarily.

"We shall be working in conjunction with the IPCC investigation to establish whether any lessons can be learned from our response to the incident," he said.

South Yorkshire Police said its unmarked cars – a BMW and a Seat Leon Cupra – were not involved in a pursuit when they were in collision with a Seat Alhambra in the M1 crash.

The two police drivers suffered minor injuries and were taken to hospital, as well as a woman in her 20s and four children who had been travelling in the Alhambra.

The IPCC said the 11-year-old boy had serious head injuries, the woman suffered a serious arm complaint which needed surgery and one of the other children had a broken leg and internal injuries.

Mr Long said the watchdog would conduct a "rigorous" investigation into the incident, which also involved three other vehicles.

"My thoughts are with the injured people and I hope they make a quick and full recovery," he added.

A South Yorkshire Police spokeswoman said: "Two of the six vehicles involved were South Yorkshire Police vehicles, so the collision has been referred to the Independent Police Complaints Commission, which is now leading the investigation."

A second crash occurred at junction 33 at 7am yesterday, leaving one person dead.

The two collisions caused widespread traffic disruption on the motorway network in South Yorkshire.

Last night police had yet to reveal the identity of the person who died.