Three-lorry M5 crash in Gloucestershire leaves driver dead
- Published
A driver has died in a three-lorry crash on the M5 in Gloucestershire.
Police were called at 05:00 BST to the collision on the southbound carriageway close to Michaelwood Services.
Fire crews were also at the scene and extinguished two of the lorries that were on fire. The road was shut between junctions 13 and 14 but the northbound carriageway has since been re-opened.
The drivers of the other two lorries have been taken to Southmead Hospital in Bristol for treatment.
Highways England said the southbound carriageway is likely to remain shut overnight "while we repair the extensive damage to the road surface".
The northbound side of the road has now been reopened.
PC Tim Griffiths, from Gloucestershire Police, said officers from the force's forensic collision investigation unit were sent to the scene.
"When we arrived, the occupants from two of the vehicles had attempted to assist the driver of the third vehicle," he said.
"As a result of attempting to assist the driver, both of these drivers sustained minor injuries and both were taken to Southmead Hospital."
He said the force is advising anyone travelling in the area to either delay their journey or "potentially use the A38 or the A46 through Stroud".
But, he added, "all those routes are very heavily congested".
The backlog of traffic between jtn 13 & 14 #M5 #Michaelwood has been cleared. We are now clearing as many vehicles from the #services as possible. The #M5 remains closed in both directions, with the south-bound carriageway likely to be closed for much of today. pic.twitter.com/YoXYsgMqLa
— Glos Police Specialist Ops (@GlosPolSpecOps) April 24, 2021