Northumbria police officer dies after being struck on A189 crash scene

PC Jess Turnbull was struck outside a marked police vehicle while responding to a collision on the A189 Spine Road in Cramlington, Northumberland, at about 11.10pm on Monday, June 8. The black Mercedes CLC that hit her was unconnected to the original incident, which involved a silver Land Rover Freelander and a white Ford Explorer on the southbound carriageway.

Turnbull, who was 19 and had joined Northumbria Police in September 2025, worked on the response policing team in Northumberland. She was taken to hospital in critical condition after the collision and died there on Wednesday, June 10, surrounded by her loved ones.

Police said a 73-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of causing serious injury by dangerous driving. After Turnbull died, that allegation was updated to causing death by dangerous driving. The man was released on bail.

The first crash had not been reported as causing serious injuries, but officers were also dealing with a separate concern: the occupants of the Ford were said to have fled on foot before police arrived. Northumbria Police has appealed for witnesses and dashcam footage from anyone travelling on the A189 Spine Road in Cramlington around 11.10pm on Monday, as detectives continue to piece together how a routine response became a fatal roadside scene.

Chief Constable Vanessa Jardine described Turnbull as a "dedicated and committed" officer who always sought to do her best to keep communities safe. Jardine said Turnbull had "so much to look forward to in her career and her life" and said the force was mourning the loss of a colleague, a friend and a family member.

The death of a newly recruited officer on active duty is likely to intensify scrutiny of the risks faced by very young frontline police staff, especially at night on fast-moving roads where one incident can quickly be compounded by another. It also places fresh attention on how forces train, supervise and protect recruits sent into high-pressure response work, and on the duty-of-care owed to officers who are still at the start of their careers.