Lorry driver finally freed after being trapped for three hours in M6 crash
A lorry driver was left trapped for more than three hours after a crash involving three HGVs on the M6.
The man was taken to hospital after being cut free by firefighters from a crumpled cab which hit the back of a Hovis lorry during the collision in Staffordshire.
An air ambulance was sent to the scene along with multiple emergency service vehicles shortly before midday on Wednesday but the man is not thought to have been seriously injured.
The motorway was closed southbound between Junction 11 for Cannock and Junction 10a for the M54 for more than fours hours, causing long delays for drivers, and the northbound route was shut while the helicopter landed.
Some drivers who were trapped between the crash scene and Junction 11 were eventually allowed past the scene at 3pm but the road remained shut for the lorries to be recovered until just before rush hour.
Photos taken at the motorway showed how the cab was left wrecked by the impact.
Two other HGV drivers were out of their vehicles before emergency workers arrived. One of them was checked by paramedics and discharged at the scene and the second refused treatment.
Footage taken from a passing vehicle showed firefighters, police officers and highways workers working alongside paramedics and a specialist hazardous medical team while the driver was freed.
An air ambulance landed and waited on the carriageway nearby, while at least four fire engines and six West Midlands Ambulance Service vehicles were at the scene.
A West Midlands Ambulance Service spokesman said: "When ambulance staff arrived on scene they found three HGVs which had suffered significant damage in the collision. There were three patients, the drivers of each vehicle. One of them, a man, was significantly trapped as a result of the damage caused to his vehicle.
“Ambulance staff worked closely alongside colleagues from the fire service to cut him free, a process which took about three hours.
“Crews continually monitored the man’s condition throughout and once free they treated him for injuries not believed to be serious before transporting him to Walsall Manor Hospital by land ambulance.
“A second man was assessed and discharged at the scene whilst the third patient did not wish to be assessed.”
Staffordshire Fire and Rescue service assisted emergency colleagues in the rescue of the trapped motorist and described the extraction as a "very difficult process."
Stuart Ruckledge, of Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service, said: “This extrication was a very difficult process and I commend the work of all emergency service colleagues who worked together in order to rescue this man.
“Firefighters created small holes in the cabin, allowing doctors at the scene to monitor the condition of the trapped motorist throughout the incident.
“HGVs are considerably more robust than cars and crews had to operate with great precision in order to bring this man to safety.
In a separate incident, drivers faced delays throughout the morning rush hour on Wednesday after a lorry crash which also involved three lorries and saw glass spill across the motorway. One man was taken to hospital.
