Trucker in Leighton Hospital as M6 bridge crash sparks rush-hour gridlock

Emergency services and highways officials were called to the scene on the southbound carriageway - between Junctions 17 and 16 - at around 5.10am. And as reported by CheshireLive^[1] the incident resulted in queues spiralling all the way back to Junction 19.

Cheshire Police say the trucker has been taken to Crewe's Leighton Hospital - while the bridge has been deemed safe. A spokesperson for the force said: "Police were called to reports of a collision on the M6 between junction 17 and junction 16, near Sandbach.

"Officers attended and found that a HGV had collided with a bridge. The driver sustained minor injuries and was taken to Leighton Hospital as a precaution."

During the height of the incident only one lane was running past the scene. National Highways has confirmed the route was fully back open just before 8.10am.

A spokesperson said: "Emergency services attended the scene, along with recovery to remove the HGV and contractors to assess the damage.

"At 8.09am all lanes were reopened after the carriageway has been cleared of debris. The bridge was inspected and there was no significant damage, only superficial."

NEWSLETTER: Sign up for CheshireLive email direct to your inbox here^[2]

References

1. ^{^} And as reported by CheshireLive (www.cheshire-live.co.uk)
2. ^{^} Sign up for CheshireLive email direct to your inbox here (www.cheshire-live.co.uk)