The fatal collision that killed three people on the A13 in east London in July 2024 could have been avoided if police had been sent to the correct location and arrived in sufficient time to clear the first incident, a coroner has found. The Metropolitan Police has changed its 999 call handler training after an inquest found that a caller twice gave the correct junction but the call handler failed to record it, leading officers to search the wrong area.
The first crash, in which a speeding BMW struck a Ford Transit van that ended up on the central reservation, happened at around 9.12pm. A passing driver called police at 9.19pm and twice said the location was the Wennington junction between the A13 and A1306. The call handler did not note Wennington junction in the remarks section, and the computer system only listed the incorrect Dagenham junction as a possible location. Officers were sent to Dagenham and found no trace of the incident despite checking one junction in either direction.
Later that evening a second collision occurred at the Wennington junction, killing Sachin Kalia, 19, Davina Kaur Ruprah, 24, and Kiranjeet Sagoo, 36.
At an inquest at Walthamstow coroner's court, it was found that the fatal collision could have been avoided if the attending officers had been provided with the correct location and arrived in sufficient time to clear the first incident. The inquest also found the cause of death was a collision caused by the driver losing control while driving at high speed in adverse weather conditions. The crash could also have been avoided had the Ford Transit van not been parked within the central reservation after the first incident, the jury added.
Coroner Nina Persaud has sent a prevention of future deaths report raising concerns about the failure to record the correct location. She wrote that had officers been provided with the correct location, they would likely have arrived before the second collision. If they had arrived before it, they were trained to park their car in the 'fend off' position to slow traffic and minimise risk, and may also have elected to remove the Ford Transit from the central reservation. She said that had officers attended the correct location, it was likely the fatal collision could have been avoided.
The coroner also noted there was 'a great deal of confusion' about the precise location and a reliance on mobile phone location systems, which could be imprecise and risk call handlers not giving full attention to the information provided by the caller. The correct location was eventually established using What3Words.
In its response, the Metropolitan Police said it 'acknowledges the seriousness of the recording error and the absence of immediate supervisory intervention'. The call handler, who first learned of the mistake at a meeting with the Met Command and Control inquest team a week after the incident, would undertake a structured period of 'learning through reflection'. The call handler has also voluntarily taken part in training material for other operators.
The Met said What3Words has been formally incorporated into its 2026 training syllabus and all new call handlers are trained to use the codes. Updated guidance makes clear that verbal descriptions from callers must be prioritised over mobile phone mast data, which should be treated only as a supplementary indicator.
Analysis
Why This Matters
- The case highlights how a simple administrative error in an emergency call centre can have fatal consequences.
- It raises questions about the Metropolitan Police's reliance on mobile phone location technology and the training of call handlers.
- The coroner's prevention of future deaths report and the Met's acceptance of failings may lead to broader reforms in emergency call handling across the UK.
Background
The crash occurred on the A13 in east London. The first incident involved a speeding BMW that collided with a Ford Transit, causing it to end up on the central reservation. Despite a caller providing the correct location, the call handler entered the wrong junction. Police spent time searching the wrong area, and a second collision later killed three people. The coroner's inquest found the deaths could have been avoided.
Key Perspectives
Coroner Nina Persaud: said the failure to record the correct location likely meant officers could not arrive in time to prevent the fatal crash, and that the Met's call handling had 'a great deal of confusion' about location with over-reliance on imprecise phone mast data.
Metropolitan Police: acknowledged the seriousness of the recording error and the lack of immediate supervisory intervention, and said it has since updated training to emphasise verbal descriptions from callers over mobile phone location data and incorporated What3Words.
What to Watch
- Implementation of the new training and whether it prevents similar errors.
- Any further inquest recommendations or legal action from families.
- Potential scrutiny of police call handling across other forces in the UK.
Checked
12 claims in this story checked against 1 source: 12 supported.
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- SupportedThe headline says the coroner found the fatal A13 collision could have been avoided and police had been sent to the wrong location.The Standard London: “An inquest at Walthamstow coroner’s court found that the fatal collision could have been avoided “if the MPS attending officers had been provided with the correct location and arrived in sufficient time to clear the first incident”.”
- SupportedThe Metropolitan Police changed 999 call-handler training in response to the inquest findings.The Standard London: “The Metropolitan Police has changed the way its 999 call handlers are trained after officers were sent to the wrong location of a crash before a subsequent collision which killed three people.”
- SupportedThe coroner found the fatal collision could have been avoided if officers had received the correct location and arrived in time to clear the first incident.The Standard London: “An inquest at Walthamstow coroner’s court found that the fatal collision could have been avoided “if the MPS attending officers had been provided with the correct location and arrived in sufficient time to clear the first incident”.”
- SupportedA caller twice gave the correct junction at 9.19pm, but the call handler did not record it and officers were sent to the wrong location.The Standard London: “A passing driver called the Met at 9.19pm and twice told them the site of the first crash was Wennington junction between the A13 and A1306. [...] The MPS call handler did not note the Wennington junction as the location of the incident in the ‘remarks’ section”
- SupportedThe first crash happened at around 9.12pm when a speeding BMW collided with a Ford Transit that ended up on the central reservation.The Standard London: “The first crash occurred around 9.12pm, when the driver of a speeding BMW One series lost control and collided with a Ford Transit, which ended up on the central reservation”
- SupportedThe later collision at Wennington junction killed Sachin Kalia, 19, Davina Kaur Ruprah, 24, and Kiranjeet Sagoo, 36.The Standard London: “Sachin Kalia, 19, Davina Kaur Ruprah, 24, and Kiranjeet Sagoo, 36, were travelling westbound on the A13 in east London and died after a collision on the Wennington junction on July 15, 2024.”
- SupportedThe inquest found the cause of death was a collision caused by the driver losing control at high speed in adverse weather conditions.The Standard London: “It also found the cause of death was a collision “caused by the driver losing control whilst driving at high speed in adverse weather conditions”.”
- SupportedThe coroner described “a great deal of confusion” about the precise location.The Standard London: “The coroner also said there was “a great deal of confusion” about the precise location”
- SupportedThe Metropolitan Police said it “acknowledges the seriousness of the recording error and the absence of immediate supervisory intervention”.The Standard London: “the Metropolitan Police said it “acknowledges the seriousness of the recording error and the absence of immediate supervisory intervention”.”
- SupportedThe call handler would undertake a structured period of “learning through reflection”.The Standard London: “would undertake a structured period of “learning through reflection”.”
- SupportedOfficers were trained to park in the “fend off” position to slow traffic and minimise risk if they arrived before the second collision.The Standard London: “If they had arrived before the second collision, the officers were trained to park their car in the ‘fend off’ position, so as to slow the traffic in the lanes two and three, and minimise the risk to other road users.”
- SupportedWhat3Words has been incorporated into the Met’s 2026 training syllabus, and all new call handlers are trained to use its codes.The Standard London: “It said What3Words has now been formally incorporated into its 2026 training syllabus and all new call handlers are trained to request, recognise and use the codes.”