Chichester Road crash: Everything we know so far as police inquiries continue

Where and when did the crash happen?

The crash took place on Chichester Road in South Shields in the early hours of the morning on Friday, January 24.

What have the police confirmed about the crash?

Shortly before 4.15am on Friday, officers were called to Chichester Road after a white Audi S3 had collided with a house.

Emergency services attended but sadly the male driver was pronounced dead at the scene.

Police have confirmed that they do not believe any other vehicles were involved.

Nobody inside the house was injured but significant damage was caused.

Who were the victims?

Barry Armstrong – also known as Barry Sutton – has been named by police as the 25-year-old male driver from South Shields who was tragically killed in the crash.

Tributes have been left at the scene of the crash to Barry, and football teams including Shaun Matthias FC which Barry played for have paid tribute to the ‘canny hearted lad’.

Two other occupants of the car, a female passenger and a second man, received treatment in hospital after suffering serious injuries.

The woman remains in a critical but stable condition while the man is in a stable condition.

How has the community reacted?

A number of flowers with messages to Barry have been left at the scene of the crash and members of the Sunday league football community have also paid tribute to their young player on Twitter.

A minute’s silence was said to have been held at the game between South Shields side, The Derby FC, and Hebburn side, The Clock FC, on Sunday, January 26.

Meanwhile a Go Fund Me fundraiser set up by a friend of Barry's family has raised more than £2,000 towards helping the family cover funeral costs.

To donate visit: https://www.gofundme.com/f/nrpd5f-funeral-fune?utm_source=customer&utm_medium=copy_link-tip&utm_campaign=p_cp+share-sheet

Has the road reopened?

Chichester Road was closed between the junctions of Westoe Road and Dean Road for several hours after the collision as officers carried out inquiries.

The road has now reopened and a number of floral tributes have been left at the scene.

South Tyneside Council’s Building Control team were called out to the scene and confirmed that the house appears intact and is considered structurally stable at this time.

Has there been any arrests?

Not in connection to the crash.

Police have confirmed that a 20-year-old man will be summonsed to appear in court after video of the crash scene was shared on social media in the immediate aftermath of the collision.

Sergeant Dave Roberts, of Northumbria Police’s motor patrols department said: “On Friday, we were made aware of a video circulating on social media which had been taken of the scene in the immediate aftermath of the collision.

“This contained very distressing images and I’d like to reiterate that sharing this video could constitute a criminal offence.

“As a result of the footage, a 20-year-old man has been interviewed under caution in relation to a communications offence and will be summonsed to appear before court on a future date.”

What are police doing now?

Police have said their motivation is to find out what caused this collision and determine a chronology of events that immediately preceded the incident.

A team of officers have been carrying out a number of inquiries over the weekend and will continue throughout this week.

Officers are still appealing for information and anybody who witnessed the collision itself, or who lives in the area and may have dashcam footage or CCTV that can assist the ongoing investigation, is asked to come forward.

Anyone with information is asked to contact 101 quoting reference 85 24/01/20 or via the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.