M5 Crash 04/11/2011

[whole diary]

[grahame]

What else caused it then? A meteorite?!!

I was going to come back, list some alternatives, and request that you're not so flippant.   Then I checked back in the thread and noted.

Did you not read what I posted in bold earlier in the thread. Please reconsider your post.

So I reconsidered my post.  What a great shame, ChrisB, that your reconsideration resulted not only in a decision to take a light hearted approach, but also to take an approach that was in direct contradiction to a request from one of the moderators.

At intense times like this, we can all react in different ways;  many of us (myself slightly included) have been effected by fatal road traffic accidents, and it's good that this forum can let this be used to help us get on / move forward.  But your way, Chris, has offended.   This thread has already been locked in order to prevent you posting further to it.  I'm going to modify that decision and lock your account for a while, but reopen the thread. That way, the rest of us who wish to express sympathy for the victims, thanks to the emergency services who have dealt with it, and perhaps post if personally effected, can do so.

[Chris from Nailsea]

From MSN News:

At least seven dead after M5 smash

At least seven people have been killed and 51 injured in a devastating motorway pile-up said to be among the worst UK^▸ (United Kingdom) collisions in memory.

Police said the death toll from the crash on the M5 in Somerset on Friday night was expected to rise as the recovery operation continued.

Some 34 vehicles were involved in the accident, which happened in wet and foggy conditions and was described by emergency workers as "the worst road traffic collision anyone can remember".

Assistant Chief Constable Anthony Bangham of Somerset and Avon Police said: "Seven people are confirmed to have died as a result of this tragic incident and we do believe there could be more deaths.

"Our thoughts are with those who may have lost loved ones as a result of last night's collision.

"A large-scale multi-agency operation continues at the scene to remove vehicles, check that there are no other casualties and repair the carriageway. This is a hugely complex operation because of the scale of vehicles and people involved. All vehicles will need to be removed from the scene for forensic examination and this of course takes time."

Of the casualties, 25 were taken to Yeovil District Hospital and 17 of the more seriously injured to Musgrove Park Hospital in Taunton, he said. Nine others were taken to a temporary holding unit set up by the ambulance service.

The crash, which triggered a "massive fireball", took place close to the Bridgwater Guy Fawkes Carnival and it was suggested that smoke from the event could have worsened the fog on the road.

Police could not say whether the fireworks display might have been a factor, but Mr Bangham said it was "certainly something we'll be looking at closely".

He said: "There's a number of factors that came into play. It was dark - it was about 8.25pm - it was particularly poor weather last night, we had fog banks on the motorway and we also had wet surface issues. There were also other factors coming into play: there were events going on in the evening and of course we need to have a very close look at what was going on in the area that may have caused some sort of distraction."

[6 OF 2 redundant adjunct of unimatrix 01]

I think this one has to be different, a full investigation needs to be done from the start of the m5 at Exeter upto Bristol, it is a very badly designed road poor slip roads fog often settles in dips in the road and most of the entry slips are set up so that cars mostly join with lane one in the blind spot, splatford split on the northbound is one example I did this trip every day for several years lane one out of Exeter is so badly worn down by trucks that you can actually get caught in the tyre grooves and not have to steer sorry to say this and I know we don't know exactly what happened but this was always going to happen eventually on this road, at city link the lorrys were delayed almost every Friday by rtc's on that stretch

[devon_metro]

A terrible accident. I was driving through Somerset yesterday evening and hit a random fog patch which was very thick. Particularly scary when you've never driven the road at night.

As for the comment about the M5 being badly designed, I wouldn't say it was that bad. Certainly i've driven on far worse. The M271 in Southampton springs to mind, the junction onto the M27 is a traffic light controlled junction, funny considering it is illegal to stop on the motorway!!!

I'd say last nights events are simply a terrible accident.

[6 OF 2 redundant adjunct of unimatrix 01]

I'm not going to post it as it wouldn't be apropriate to start a guessing game but I'm pretty sure I know how this happened, the problem is motorways and infact driving relys on the most inconsistent unpredictable thing on the planet ... Us, it doesn't matter how safe a road is while humans are in control of the car these terrible accidents will happen, but I stand by my comment on how dangerous that road is

[JayMac]

but this was always going to happen eventually on this road

I think it fair to point out that 'this' could happen on any stretch of Motorway.

[anthony215]

I have driven on the M5 including the section where this crash  happened and it doesnt seem to be any more dangerous than other motorways.

I personally think the M4 is worse especially with some of the junctions at Margam & Port Talbot

[LiskeardRich]

I agree with comments regardign the M4 around south Wales, having used the M4 daily for 2 years until i moved back to Cornwall in 2009

[Ollie]

Very sad news.

Sounds a lot like the M4 crash of 1991.

[johoare]

Indeed Ollie, I was thinking about the 1991 one earlier too..
Not good at all ever when this happens..

[ollie b]

I mut say a big well done to all the emergency services and agencys involved and the weather was definately not on their side i was at J27 where the northbound slip road had been closed and it was very foggy there i can only imagine what it would have been like next to a fireworks display too.

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page):

M5 crash police find no more bodies

No more bodies have been found at the scene of the crash on the M5 which killed seven people, police have said.

It had been feared the death toll from Friday evening's crash in Somerset could rise and emergency services had been searching for more victims. But Avon and Somerset Police said on Sunday morning all vehicles had been removed from the site and their "worst fears have not been realised".

A stretch of the M5 is expected to stay closed for the rest of the weekend. The 34-vehicle pile-up left 51 people injured.

Assistant Chief Constable Anthony Bangham said: "Overnight all the vehicles involved in this tragic incident have been removed from the scene. Our worst fears have not been realised and the number of those that sadly lost their lives remains at seven.

"Extensive work has been carried out to identify those people and families are being appointed family liaison officers to support them. Formal identification has not taken place - this will happen in the coming days."

Samworth Brothers, which owns Cornwall-based pasty firm Ginsters, said two of its vehicles, a Ginsters and a Samworth lorry, were involved in the crash. A spokesman for frozen food retailer Iceland confirmed one of the firm's lorries had also been involved.

Officers are examining whether fog or smoke from a nearby bonfire and fireworks event may have been a factor in the crash, which happened at junction 25, near Taunton.

Four private ambulances left the site of the crash late on Saturday.

People concerned about relatives should call the emergency helpline on 0800 092 0410.

The motorway remains closed between junctions 24 and 25.

Officers said the pile-up, which happened on the northbound carriageway at about 20:30 GMT, had led to a "massive fireball" at the scene.

Investigators are looking into what caused the crash, which witnesses said happened as the road was wet and foggy in patches.

Witnesses described how smoke had been produced from a fireworks display at Taunton Rugby Club, near the motorway.

The club made no comment on the matter, but confirmed the display had taken place between 20:00 and 20:15 GMT on Friday.

Of the injured, 25 were taken to Yeovil District Hospital, 17 of the more seriously injured are being treated at Musgrove Park Hospital in Taunton and nine were treated at the scene.

Twenty-three of those taken to Yeovil have since been discharged.

Mr Bangham said: "Once the carriageway is clear, a large operation will take place to repair the road surface and clear fuel spillages." He said the issue of whether nearby fireworks events were a factor in the crash was "certainly something we'll be looking at closely".

"There are a number of factors that came into play," he said. "It was dark, it was particularly poor weather... we had fog banks on the motorway and we also had wet surface issues. There were events going on in the evening and of course we need to have a very close look at what was going on in the area that may have caused some sort of distraction."

On Saturday, he described the crash scene as "horrific" and said the incident had been "very, very challenging" for emergency crews.

He also praised the bravery of members of the public who had tried to help others caught up in the crash. "The intensity of the fire - it was a fireball on the carriageway - made it incredibly difficult for people to approach. People did their very best."

Police have not confirmed the age or sex of the people killed but Mr Bangham said four of the casualties had been in one vehicle.

Witness Tom Hamill, 25, from Wells, Somerset, described how he helped a woman and her child to safety over the central reservation in the aftermath of the crash. He said: "I clambered out of the car and the first thing I heard was a mother of a small 18-month-old baby shouting 'take my baby, take my baby - my husband's trapped inside the car.' So I took the baby and carried it over the central reservation."

Mr Hamill, who had been travelling with his father and girlfriend, said that at the time of the crash he slowed down and veered into the central reservation, which he thought had "saved our lives".

He added: "The thing that made me realise how bad it was, was you could hear the thud of cars hitting into lorries. One car overtook us going at about 60 or 70 miles an hour and just crashed straight into a lorry."

Transport Secretary Justine Greening said on Saturday it was too early to consider what measures could be taken to prevent similar accidents. She paid tribute to emergency crews, saying there had been "real acts of heroism", and expressed her "deepest sympathies" with the affected families.

Hundreds of people have paid tribute to the dead and injured and their families on Facebook.

Britain's worst road crashes

20 October 2008: Family-of-six killed in crash on the M6.

7 May 2007: Six people killed on the M25 when a rescue truck carrying a minibus collides with a lorry.

10 July 2003: Seven people killed when a minibus collides with a car on the M56.

17 November 1993: Crash on the M40 leaves 12 children dead.

March 13 1991: Ten people killed in a 51-car pile-up on the M4.

28 October 1987: Truck collides with stationary traffic on the M61 killing 12 people.

21 October 1985: Coach collides with stationary traffic on the M6 killing 13 people.

27 May 1975: Coach carrying pensioners comes off bridge in North Yorkshire, killing 32 people, in Britain's worst ever road accident.

[SandTEngineer]

In another thread I mentioned that I visited the Bridgwater Carnival on Friday night.  I passed the site of the accident (going North) at about 1800 and at that time the road was clear but it was raining slightly.  However, on reaching the top of the hill just after the Taunton junction traffic was coming to a standstill due to holdups on turning off at Bridgwater.  At the time I commented to my wife about the idiots driving in the overtaking lane (I refuse to call it the fast lane) and the distances (or not) between the vehicles.  People were also trying to weave in and out because of the hold up.

During the Bridgwater Carnival at about 2000 Fog suddenly descended and this was it now seems about the time of the accident.

My heartfelt condolences go out to all those involved.  It certainly shook me up when they announced the accident at the end of the carnival.

Post Edited to comply with Moderators Wishes.

[Phil]

It would appear the following needs repeating - possibly because it's slipped to the previous page. Thanks.

Finally, with my Moderator hat on and out of respect for all those involved, can I ask that forum members avoid speculation here as to the causes of this incident. Thank you.

[Devon Big Bird]

It would appear the following needs repeating - possibly because it's slipped to the previous page. Thanks.

Finally, with my Moderator hat on and out of respect for all those involved, can I ask that forum members avoid speculation here as to the causes of this incident. Thank you.

It's a shame you couldn't have got the same message to the Mail on Sunday who IMO^▸ (in my opinion) have not been helpful.