Driver arrested after four die in Derby car crash, including baby

Four people, including a baby girl, died after a red Hyundai left the A38 in Derby and struck trees, and Derbyshire police arrested the 18-year-old driver on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving. The crash happened on the southbound carriageway between the A50 Toyota Island and the A516 at about 11pm on July 25.

Emergency services reached the scene after the five occupants of the car were involved in the crash. Three people were pronounced dead where the car came to rest: a 36-year-old man and two women aged 18 and 30. The baby girl was taken to hospital but died a short time later, bringing the death toll to four. One other occupant survived.

The stretch of the A38 around Toyota Island and the A516 slip road has been closed before after collisions, and it sits on one of Derby’s busiest road corridors, linking the city with the A50 and routes into and out of the east Midlands.

Investigators measure skid marks, map the car’s final position, photograph the trees and carriageway, and assess how fast the vehicle was moving before it left the road. They compare the damage on the Hyundai with the scene to build a timeline of the impact and check whether braking, steering or a sudden mechanical problem played a part.

Detectives have not set out why the Hyundai left the carriageway, what caused it to hit the trees, or whether speed was a factor. They are also establishing the movements of the 18-year-old driver before the crash and how the five people came to be in the car on that stretch of the A38.