Horsebox smash shuts M6 for 10 hours

Part of the M6 was closed for 10 hours after a horror smash left two people seriously injured.

Three vehicles – a van, a horsebox and a lorry – were involved in the crash, which happened near Junction 4a on the southbound carriageway at 2.25pm yesterday.

Click on the image on the right to see more pictures from the scene

Traffic chaos ensued throughout the rush hour following the incident, with both sides of the motorway closed until northbound lanes were reopened at around 9pm.

The southbound stretch from Junction 6 Birmingham to Junction 4, where the M6 meets with the M42, was closed until 12.30am today.

Air Ambulances were dispatched to the scene, where two people who were believed to have been out of their vehicles at the time of the incident were treated.

A woman, believed to be from the horsebox, was treated for a potentially serious head injury.

She was fully immobilised before being airlifted by the Midlands Air Ambulance to Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham for further assessment and treatment.

And a man thought to be from the van suffered serious head and chest injuries.

He was given anaesthetic at the scene by the doctor on board the Warwickshire and Northamptonshire air ambulance.

Suzie Fothergill, from West Midlands Ambulance Service, said: "On arrival at the scene crews found a number of vehicles that had been in collision including a van, horsebox and a lorry.

"The motorway was shut in both directions to allow the air ambulances to land safely at the scene."

Two horses were injured in the collision and were tended to by a vet, while a third died at the scene.

Motorists on the southbound carriageway, who were stuck behind the scene of the collision, were diverted across the central reservation onto the northbound carriageway to allow them to leave the motorway.