A terrifying collision that closed a major highway and left motorists stuck in a 10-mile tailback for approximately six hours claimed the life of a woman.
Shortly after 10:30 in the morning, the woman’s car and a 4×4 collided in the northbound lanes of the M5 near Birmingham.
The injured woman’s car was totalled, and witnesses and an off-duty paramedic attempted to assist her until paramedics arrived and took over.
Despite their efforts, she passed away at the scene. In the 4×4 two men did not get hurt.
Police shut the M5’s northbound lanes in Worcestershire between junctions 5 and 4A of the M42 for about six hours.
According to Highways England, all lanes had reopened by 12pm, but drivers were still stuck in traffic for roughly ten miles.
After captaining the Ryder Cup greenkeeping team in 2010, driver Jim McKenzie, who received an MBE, shared a picture of the cars stuck in the closure on Twitter, captioning it, “My view for the last 2 hours – stuck on the M5 – not moved an inch – avoid if you can – serious accident ahead!”
West Mercia Police stated: “Officers were called to the northbound carriageway shortly after 10.30am this morning following reports of a collision involving two vehicles.”
“We understand this is causing disruption for the morning motorists and we would ask that they please be patient and bear with us while we deal with the incident,” stated Chief Superintendent Tom Harding prior to the lanes being reopened.
“The public can understand, I’m sure, that we are currently looking into a serious collision. This will need a thorough investigation, which could take several hours to finish.
“We are making every effort to minimise closure times and are collaborating with partners to guarantee the road is open as soon as possible.
Officers are also being dispatched to the neighbourhood to make sure anyone who might be stuck in traffic can get away as quickly as possible.
“We would like to thank everyone for their support and understanding at this time.”
According to a West Midlands Ambulance Service spokesman: “When the ambulance arrived, the crew discovered that the car had sustained significant damage.
“Bystanders and an off-duty paramedic attempted to help the driver of the car.
Sadly, despite every attempt, she could not be saved, and on the spot, her death was officially declared.
“After being evaluated, the two men in the 4×4 were released from the scene without incident.”
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