Truck driver dies as crash shuts M6 near Birmingham
A truck driver has died after a crash which closed a busy stretch of the M6 for several hours this morning.
Traffic was stopped while an air ambulance landed on the motorway between junctions five and six, but the 34-year-old man was pronounced dead at the scene.
He had been driving a flatbed breakdown truck which was involved in a smash with a lorry in the southbound carriageway at around 9am.
The man, whose identity has not yet been confirmed, was in cardiac arrest at the roadside when ambulance crews arrived.
“CPR commenced immediately and advanced life support was administered but unfortunately it became apparent nothing could be done to save the man and he was confirmed deceased," a West Midlands Ambulance spokesman said.
“The lorry driver, a man believed to be in his 40s, was treated for neck and chest injuries and taken to Heartlands Hospital by land ambulance.”
His family have been informed and are being supported by specialist police officers.
The northbound carriageway was back open by 11am, however the southbound side stayed closed between the junctions for Castle Bromwich and Birmingham for another hour before traffic was allowed to pass through two lanes.
And it was a further four hours until the motorway was fully back open, with collision investigators examining the site before the debris could be cleared.
Inspector Andy Bentley, from Central Motorway Police Group, said: “Due to the severity of this crash we needed to carry out a full examination of the scene which required lanes to be closed for a number of hours.
"We appreciate the inconvenience this caused for motorists and apologise for the delays they have faced.
"However, a family has lost of a loved-one and we owe it to them to establish the circumstances behind this collision.
“We would ask for anyone who may have seen what happened or may have dash cam footage and hasn't spoken to our officers so far to get in touch with the collision investigation unit on 101 extension 843 6045.”
Meanwhile a vehicle fire in Staffordshire led to two lanes of the southbound motorway being closed between junctions 13 and 12 for around 45 minutes.
A tanker crash on the northbound side also led to long queues near Stafford services.
It comes as thousands of people are making their to V Festival, at Weston Park off the M54.
Those heading to the festival also experienced delays on their approach to the event, with tailbacks on the A5 between A41 at Pickmere Island and the A449 at Gailey.
Meanwhile a stretch of Birmingham New Road in Dudley was closed after a teenage girl was hit by a car.
