Lorry driver released on bail after five killed in M6 crash
The driver of a lorry involved in a brutal M6 crash which left five people dead has been released on bail.
The man, aged 60 and from the West Midlands, was arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving yesterday after four women and a man died in the smash near Stafford.
All five, including a driver and four passengers, were travelling south in a Nissan Micra when it collided with the HGV one mile before Junction 14 at around 4.30am on Wednesday. They were pronounced dead at the scene.
A sixth person, who was the front seat passenger in the Micra, was left critically injured but is now in a stable condition at Royal Stoke University Hospital, Staffordshire Police said today.
The force also revealed that all five of the people killed were Romanian nationals and their families have now been informed.
The lorry driver has been released pending further investigations and officers have again appealed for witnesses and anyone travelling in front of the crash to come forward.
An 11-mile stretch of the M6 from Stoke down to Stafford was closed for eight hours as police officers examined the crash site at Seighford.
Barriers were erected to shield northbound drivers from the crash scene, where the wreckage of the blue hatchback was resting surrounded by debris.
Drivers heading towards the Black Country on the motorway faced major delays as a result, while part of the central reservation barrier was cut away so trapped vehicles could turn around.
Footage shows traffic crawling past crash site:
Lorry driver Andrew Nixon, from Stoke-on-Trent, was stuck in the congestion for more than four hours. He was forced to turn his vehicle around and drive north up the southbound carriageway by Highways England.
“If it was minutes earlier it could have been me," he said.
“It really is tragic what has happened. I came off Stafford services just before 4.30am then joined the M6 and it was moving. A police car and fire engine came past and it suddenly came to a stop.
“The crash was about five to six hundred yards in front. I eventually came to a stop at about 4.40am and was then stuck for four hours 15 minutes."
Other motorists took to social media to express their shock over the fatal crash, with Ali Granger posting on Twitter: “Five people have lost their lives while drivers have lost a few hours.”
The smash was one of several to cause disruption on the M6 in the West Midlands yesterday.
A multi-vehicle crash involving HGVs between Junction 11a for the M6 Toll and Junction 12 at Gailey led to hour-long delays northbound during the morning rush hour.
Two lanes were shut for more than three hours as a result of the smash which happened at around 7am.
Then, just as the motorway was returning to normal following the fatal crash, a collision between two lorries led to three lanes being closed southbound between Junction 10 for Walsall and Junction 9 for Wednesbury from 4.20pm.
There were seven-mile delays until the road was cleared and reopened at around 8pm. Nobody was injured in the smash.
Any witnesses to the fatal southbound crash should contact Staffordshire Police on 101, quoting incident number 68 of May 24.
