M4 crash leaves man fighting for his life as motorway kept closed

A man is fighting for his life in hospital after a crash on the M4 this morning[1] (Thursday, January 11). The incident shortly after 4am involved a white Mercedes-Benz Sprinter van and a lorry on the westbound motorway between junctions 14 for Hungerford and 15 for Swindon. The van driver, a man in his thirties, suffered life-threatening injuries and was taken to hospital, where he remains, and his next of kin have been informed.

The motorway remains closed[2] westbound between junctions 14 and 15 because of the collision. Diversions are in place and long delays are reported on the motorway ahead of the closure and on local roads. An appeal for witnesses has been made by Thames Valley Police.

Sergeant Tony Jenkins, of the Joint Operations Roads Policing Unit, said: "Firstly, I would like to send our best wishes to the victim of this collision, who has suffered life-threatening injuries, and our thoughts are with him and his loved ones. I am appealing for any witnesses to this collision to please come forward. "Also, if you were driving in the area around the time of the collision and have a dash-cam, please check your recording in case it has captured something that could assist us and get in touch if you have.

Anyone with information or footage should call 101 or make a report on our website[5], quoting reference number 239 of today's date. "The motorway remains closed while we deal with the collision, with diversions in place. Apologies for any inconvenience this has caused but we hope to reopen it at around 1pm but that is subject to change."

For the latest on the incident, see our live blog[6]

References

1. ^ M4 this morning (www.gloucestershirelive.co.uk)
2. ^ motorway remains closed (www.gloucestershirelive.co.uk)
3. ^ Live snow countdown as Met Office and BBC Weather update white stuff risk (www.gloucestershirelive.co.uk)
4. ^ Cotswolds town listed as one of West Country's 'most depressing' despite recent 'happy place' accolade (www.gloucestershirelive.co.uk)
5. ^ website (www.thamesvalley.police.uk)
6. ^ live blog (www.gloucestershirelive.co.uk)