Car crash chaos at busy roundabout

Tailbacks built up for about an hour until the wreckage was cleared from the scene of the crash at Cinder Bank Island, Netherton.

Both drivers escaped injury but the smash caused hold-ups along all roads leading up to the island, including the Dudley Southern Bypass.

Police were called to help clear the traffic at 8.40 am today - about an hour after the collision happened.

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Drivers were delayed by about 15 minutes as traffic was slowed to a crawl around the cars which were left partially blocking the island entrance from Holly Hall. The congestion was made worse by a tailback from roadworks at Cinder Bank, Netherton, which caused tailbacks as far back as the Flood Street island on the Dudley Southern bypass.

Today's crash was the second near the scene where a driver had a lucky escape yesterday. He managed to avoid serious injury after losing control of his car which smashed into a traffic light.

The front of his black Renault Clio was crushed, while the pedestrian railings and one traffic light column was flattened beneath the car.

The driver, who did not wish to be named, said he had lost control when he looked back at a van which had pulled out from Peartree Lane and almost side-swiped him.

"I couldn't believe what had just happened," he said. "The next thing I knew I was sitting in the middle of the crossing."

Both police and an ambulance crew attended the scene on the Dudley Southern Bypass at around 3pm yesterday. The road did not have to be closed following the crash, but the damage knocked out power to the crossing's lights.

The driver added: "I was in shock for quite a while after. I didn't realise I had hit my head until my dad asked if I wanted to be checked out by the ambulance."nextpage