Driver relives Expressway crash

Feb 2 2007 By Alison Dayani, Birmingham Mail

A LORRY driver involved in the crash that closed the Aston Expressway has spoken of his horror at watching the drama unfold in front of his eyes.

And truckie Alan Thompson, from Oldbury, revealed it is the second time in as many months he has inadvertently caused traffic chaos in the city centre.

Alan said he had left his depot in Fazeley Street, heading for Rugeley when a red saloon car clipped his wagon and sent it careering into a van yesterday.

But he had just returned to work this week after bringing the city centre to a standstill on November 30.

Alan said that in November, he blocked Lancaster Circus for two hours when he broke both his elbows falling out of his cab and was unable to move his lorry.

"I came back to work on Tuesday after nine weeks recovering from shattered elbows, but two days later, I am involved in this accident which closes the Aston Expressway," said Alan. "It was terrible being involved.

"The car hit me first and I can still see a picture of him in front of the lorry trying to straighten up the as it went into an uncontrollable slide.

"The car then smashed into a little van. I stayed at the scene for an hour and saw how injured the driver was.

"I am so worried and kept asking the police over and over again how he was doing, but they didn't know. I hope he makes a quick and full recovery."

The injured driver of the saloon car is in a serious condition with head injuries at City Hospital.

Firefighters also cut the van driver free from the wreckage, but he escaped with a minor shoulder injury. The crash in the centre of the seven-lane A38M carriageway, shortly before 7.30am yesterday, resulted in the Expressway being closed in both directions for nearly six hours.

Back in November, Alan had fallen out of his cab, but continued to drive, unaware that he had broken his elbows.

It was only when the pain became too much to bear that he froze at the wheel, approaching Lancaster Circus from the Bull Ring.

Nurses from Birmingham Children's Hospital came to help him, but firefighters took nearly two hours to carefully move him out of his cab while the lorry blocked the road.