Lorry driver arrested as five people killed in M6 crash
A driver and four passengers have died after a crash which has shut the motorway near Stafford.
Five people have died and a sixth person is critically injured after a crash between a lorry and a car on the M6 today.
The Nissan Micra's driver and four of its passengers were all confirmed dead at the scene near Stafford, while a sixth person in the same car was rushed to hospital with serious injuries. The driver of the lorry, aged 60, was unharmed and has been arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving.
Staffordshire Police said four females and a male had died. They are all believed to be adults but formal identification has not taken place and officers are trying to trace their next of kin.
The sixth person's condition is described as serious but stable, while the driver, who is from the West Midlands, has been taken into custody and is being quizzed by police.
An 11-mile stretch of the motorway from Stoke down to Stafford was shut for more than eight hours after the crash, causing major delays for motorists travelling towards the Black Country until the road was cleared at 12.30pm.
WATCH: Traffic passes the scene of the crash near Stafford
Debris, including the front passenger door, could be seen scattered across the motorway in the aftermath of the collision, which was described as 'significant' by West Midlands Ambulance Service spokeswoman Claire Brown.
Barriers were erected to shield the mangled Micra from passing motorists while collision investigators examined this scene.
“When emergency services arrived they discovered a car with six occupants inside which had been involved in a significant collision with a HGV," Ms Brown said.
"Sadly, it quickly became apparent that nothing could be done to save the driver and four passengers. All five were confirmed dead on scene.
“The sixth occupant, a man in his 40s, suffered multiple serious injuries and received advanced trauma care by the team of medics at the scene.
"Once stabilised, the man was taken by land ambulance on blue lights to Royal Stoke University Hospital for further care."
The southbound road was shut between Junction 15 for Stoke and 14 for Stafford after the collision happened at Seighford, near Stafford, at around 4.30am. It did not reopen until accident investigators had finished their work and the vehicles had been recovered at 12.30pm.
There were major delays back past Stoke to Junction 16 for the A500 as a result.
Police officers, paramedics, Highways England workers and firefighters from Longton and Stone were all on the scene, where a section of the central reservation barrier was removed to let trapped drivers switch carriageways and continue their journeys.
Motorists were also allowed to turn around and travel north in the southbound carriageway to avoid the scene of the crash.
The collision is one of two incidents causing major disruption for drivers on the M6 this morning.
A second multi-vehicle crash involving HGVs around 13 miles south of the first incident left motorists heading north from the Black Country facing delays of more than an hour.
Two lanes were closed for more than three hours after the smash happened between Junction 11a for the M6 Toll and Junction 12 for Gailey shortly after 7am. The northbound road was back fully open once the lorries involved were recovered at 10.30am.
Staffordshire Police thanked motorists for their patience and urged anyone who witnessed the fatal southbound crash to come forward and help with their investigation.
During the closure, Highways England advised: "Follow signs with the hollow triangle symbol. Exit the M6 southbound at J15 and take the exit to A500 eastbound.
"Continue along the A500 to its junction with the A34 at Hanford. Take the exit to A34 southbound and continue to M6 J14."
Witnesses to the southbound crash should contact Staffordshire Police on 101, quoting incident 68 of May 24.
