A serious road traffic accident occurred early on Tuesday morning this week, involving seven vehicles and closing both carriageways of the M4. Several people suffered personal injury.
One person was seriously injured, and was trapped in his car for more than two hours before being extricated and taken to hospital. Approximately a dozen further people suffered personal injury, including shock and whiplash.
The vehicles involved were three cars, three lorries, and a coach, fortunately carrying no passengers. One lorry crossed the central reservation as a result of the crash, forcing the closure of the motorway between junctions 17 and 18.
A spokesperson for Wiltshire Police said "Vehicles are being removed from the carriageway but due to their size this might taken some time as heavy lifting equipment is required.
"Damage to the carriageway is being assessed and the motorway will be re-opened as soon as possible."
Those who suffered personal injury in the road traffic accident were taken to hospital for checks and treatment. Some rescues required hydraulic equipment to cut the crash victims from their cars.
*A replacement vehicle can usually be supplied within 4-6 working hours, where there is an admission of liability from the other person’s insurance company. If this person is not known, their insurance details are not known, they are uninsured or there is a potential dispute over who caused the accident, a replacement vehicle cannot be provided.
