A tram crashed into the river (5)
I believe the answer is:
tamar
'the river' is the definition.
(river in the southwest of England)
'a tram crashed' is the wordplay.
'crashed' indicates anagramming the letters.
'a'+'tram'='atram'
'atram' anagrammed gives 'TAMAR'.
'into' acts as a link.
(Other definitions for tamar that I've seen before include "flower" , "River and bridge which connect Devon and Cornwall" , "River of SW_England" , "woman who posed as a prostitute" , "West Country river; a tram (anag.)" .)