M6 crash: Long delays after vans and cars involved in smash with onlookers rushing to help

People in nearby vehicles rushed to the aid of the crash victims caught up in the aftermath.

At least two vans and two cars were involved in the smash which caused lanes to be blocked.

It happened between junction six for the Aston Expressway at Spaghetti Junction and junction seven for Great Barr.

One onlooker described the shock at seeing the crash unfold as he sat in traffic on the opposite side of the motorway.

Rich McPherson, who works for Willenhall-based fire safety contractors Jaymac, said he was stunned when the vehicles crashed just metres away from his van.

He was driving out on a job when the smash happened at around 12pm.

"It was a shock. I saw a vehicle [involved in the crash] starting to smoke so being in fire safety I thought I'd try and help," he said.

"After parking up in the fast lane I got out and could see a man who was struggling to get out of his vehicle.

"He scrambled across to the passenger door to get out. But then he was in the lane of traffic.

"I shouted at him to get to safety."

Mr McPherson, aged 42, helped calm the man and others in the vehicles by which time emergency services had been called.

West Midlands Ambulance Service spokesman Murray McGregor said: “On arrival, ambulance staff found a Citroen box van that had front end damage and a small car with rear end damage.

"Both had ended up against the central reservation.

"The van also had a ‘bullseye’ on the windscreen.

“There were two patients from the van; a 49-year-old woman was initially unconscious but after being brought out of the vehicle started to come round.

"She was treated for a potentially serious head injury."

She was taken by road to the major trauma centre at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, in Birmingham.

He said the aircrew travelled in the ambulance given the state of her condition.

A 46-year-old man from Hayes in Middlesex had managed to get himself out of the vehicle himself.

He was treated for neck pain and was taken to Heartlands Hospital.

A man, thought to be in his 20s, from a car was checked over but was unhurt.

Highways England tweeted that two lanes of the carriageway had been shut northbound and one lane southbound after the crash.

Officials tweeted an image showing the air ambulance at the scene.

Traffic was held back so that the helicopter could land safely.

The vehicles had been cleared by around 2.45pm.

There are long delays northbound from junction four for Coventry and Birmingham Airport up to junction seven at Great Barr.

Queues have eased but there are still around 80 minutes of delays. These could continue until at least 4.15pm

Southbound queues are improving and officials believe traffic should be clear after 3pm.