M6 driver injured in smash

Apr 22 2008 By Will Oliphant

THE M6 north of Birmingham re-opened today after 14 hours of tailback misery caused by a jack-knifed lorry.

The heavy goods vehicle careered off the southbound carriageway and hit a tree between junctions 8 and 7, near Great Barr, just before 1.45pm yesterday, blocking lanes.

Further delays were caused on the northbound side as traffic was cleared to allow emergency services to arrive and the County Air Ambulance to land.

Firefighters released the 57-year-old driver and he was airlifted to Selly Oak Hospital for treatment.

A West Midlands Ambulance Service spokesman said the driver was treated through the front windscreen and sunroof of his vehicle while the fire service released him.

"He had suffered crush injuries to his chest and to the right side of his body."

M6 tailbacks stretched from junction 11 north of Wolverhampton to junction 4, Coleshill.

Stuart Thompson, of the Highways Agency, said: "We got the vehicle and everything sorted out by yesterday evening at about 8pm or 9pm, but there was extensive damage to the carriageway."