Lorry pile-up on M6 causes massive delays
A serious crash involving half a dozen lorries brought chaos to one of the busiest stretches of the M6 near Birmingham today.
The articulated lorries ploughed into each other on the northbound carriageway between junctions four and 4a, at Coleshill just after 10am.
One of the heavy good vehicles left the carriageway and ended up down an embankment.
One person was seriously injured and the motorway was temporarily closed in both directions to allow an air ambulance to land.
Highway agency officials said the southbound carriageway and one lane of the northbound carriageway would be fully re-opened once the ambulance had taken off.
The northbound entry slip road from the M42 was also temporarily closed.
The incident caused four kilometre long tailbacks by 11.30am and drivers were being advised to seek alternative routes to avoid adding to the congestion.
A West Midland Police spokesman said: “Several lorries have been involved in a collision on the northbound carriageway of the M6 between junctions 4 and 4a. One driver is trapped in his vehicle and is currently being released.
“His injuries not believed to be life threatening. There are no reports of any other serious injuries."
The Midland Air Ambulance from Cosford and the Warwickshire and Northamptonshire Air Ambulance were also scrambled.
A West Midlands Ambulance Service spokesman said: “There were six lorries that had all suffered significant damage; one had left the road and gone up the embankment. There was also oil over the road.
“Thankfully, despite the damage to the cabs, none of the drivers was trapped.
“After all of the drivers were assessed, two men were taken to Heartlands Hospital by land ambulance with relatively minor injuries; one was immobilised using a neck collar and spinal board as a precaution.
“When it became clear that the level of injuries involved was not as serious as first thought, both helicopters were released which allowed the southbound carriageway of the motorway to be reopened."
A Highways Agency spokesman said workers will be inspecting the motorway for damage caused by the collision during the rest of the day.
