News

Nine car road traffic accident on M61

A nine-vehicle road traffic accident has caused traffic chaos on Lancashire’s roads and left one person seriously injured. A section of the M61 between Bamber Bridge and Chorley was expected to remain closed until at least midday on Wednesday April 9th 2008, leaving motorists stranded and others performing U-turns on the motorway. The accident, involving two HGVs and seven cars and vans, happened on the northbound side of the motorway, midway between junctions eight and nine at 6.30am.

Three people were cut out of one wreckage, with one said to be seriously injured in the road traffic accident. All three were taken to the Royal Preston Hospital.

Queues quickly tracked back to Bolton West Services and on surrounding roads as motorists fought to complete their journeys by other routes. The A6 through Chorley was particularly affected, with drivers reporting very slow traffic.

A spokesman for Lancashire Police said the pile-up included a Ford Transit van and Peugeot 206.

Eye-witnesses described the scene as chaotic with some frustrated motorists driving the wrong way down the carriageway to escape the queues.

One 31-year-old driver, who was on his way to work in Fulwood, Preston, said: “I have seen a number of cars do U-turns and three-point turns, and they have gone the wrong way down the hard shoulder. It’s absolutely mindless.

“It’s just absolute chaos. We are just stuck here - people are out of their cars and are really just fed up.”

Fire crews from Bamber Bridge and Chorley cut the injured people free from one vehicle. The police said all other drivers and passengers were out of their vehicles.

The police spokesman said officers were working to put diversions in place and were urging drivers stuck in the M61 queues to turn round on the carriageway.

Meanwhile, queues also backed up on the Preston-bound side of the M65 between junctions three and four at Feniscowles, Blackburn, Lancashire.

A van and three cars collided at 8.25am.

Philip H. Cuerden Personal Injury Solicitors specialise in car accident claims, and will be looking to seek compensation for those who have suffered injury from this incident.

If you were involved in this incident and think you may be entitled to compensation, please call us on 08000 890 111, or you can fill in our online claim form by clicking here.

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