Female Van Driver Dies After Crash

Police are now able to name the woman who died following a collision on the A35 near the junction for the Holmsley Tea Rooms.

At about 6.15pm on Sunday, June 27, a Renault flat-bed van, which was travelling north west along the A35 towards Lyndhurst, crossed the centre dividing line of the carriageway and collided with a Volkswagen Transporter MPV which was travelling in the opposite direction.

The driver of the Renault, 38-year-old Mandy Evans, a housewife from Kingsclere Avenue in Southampton, had to be cut free from the vehicle by Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service. She was taken to hospital in Southampton but died on June 28 as a result of her injuries.

Three passengers in the Renault were also injured. A ten-year-old boy sustained a head injury and a 40-year-old man and a seven-year-old boy both suffered cuts and bruises. All were taken to hospital in Southampton but have since been released.

The driver of the Volkswagen – a 44-year-old woman from Pennington in Lymington – sustained a serious leg injury and had to be freed from her vehicle was Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service. She is currently still being treated in Southampton Hospital and is expected to remain there for a number of days.

The passenger in the Volkswagen – a 43-year-old man – sustained minor injuries and was also taken to hospital in Southampton but has since been released.

A vet attended the scene to treat a dog which had been travelling in the Volkswagen and was injured in the crash. The dog underwent treatment and was released from the veterinary clinic on June 29.

The road was closed for six hours while officers conducted a full investigation at the scene.

Police are keen to speak to anyone who saw the collision or the vehicles in the time leading up to it.

Anyone with any information should contact PC Ian Stuart at Totton Roads Policing Unit, quoting Operation Sugarbeet, on 101, or call the charity Crimestoppers line anonymously on 0800 555 111.