ONE lane is now open on the M40 southbound say the Highways Agency with normal conditions expected to resume from 7pm following a number of incidents.
One person was killed and six others attended by ambulance staff after a crash on the motorway sparked two separate incidents last night.
This has caused delays on the M42 anti-clockwise from junction 3, the Redditch turn offbut these are now down to 10 minutes after having peaked at 30 minutes.
This resulted in vehicles coming off and down the A435 causing heavy traffic through Studley and south towards Alcester.
The motorway crashes occurred just before midnight on Thursday evening on the southbound M40 about half a mile before junction 15 closing the motorway.
Three ambulances, a rapid response vehicle, two paramedic area support officers, the Hazardous Area Response Team and the MERIT trauma doctor were all deployed to the scene.
A West Midlands Ambulance Service spokesman said: “The initial incident involved a collision between an HGV lorry and a car. When crews arrived at the scene, they found wreckage over three lanes and the lorry was on fire. The car was also destroyed by fire.
“Tragically, the driver of the car was confirmed dead at the scene of the incident.
“The lorry driver, a man in his 50’s was very shaken by what had happened but was uninjured. After assessment and treatment at the scene, he was discharged.
“Thermal imaging cameras on the police helicopter and also hand held units from the fire service were used at the scene but no other casualties were found.
“The second incident was about a mile back from the first in the traffic. Ambulance staff were told that initially two cars collided. This resulted in the first car leaving the carriageway and going about 3-4 metres down the embankment at the side. It also suffered a small engine fire. The second car spun and collided, side on, with the rear of an HGV.
“By chance, a fire engine that was going to the first incident came past the second and very rapidly dealt with the car fire. Although there was damage to outside of the vehicle, the inside was largely undamaged.
“In the first car there were a couple in their 70s with their granddaughter who was in her 20’s. The couple were assessed at the scene and discharged. The granddaughter was complaining of abdominal pain. She was taken to the Alexandra Hospital in Redditch; her grandparents travelled with her.
“There were two women in their 20s in the second car. It had suffered fairly extensive damage, but fortunately, there was no intrusion into the passenger area. One of the women was complaining of lower back pain, while the other had chest pain. Both were taken to the Alexandra Hospital as a precaution though their conditions were not serious.
“This was a very complex and distressing incident, but all three emergency services worked extremely well together to deal with it as rapidly as possible.”
