Warwickshire Police arrest 23-year-old man on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving after Saturday’s crash on the M40
Warwickshire Police arrested a 23-year-old man yesterday (Monday) on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving following the multi-vehicle crash on the M40 on Saturday evening (28th September).
Police thanked the public for helping with its appeal to find the driver of a Peugeot van involved in the collision which led to the death of a woman in her 50s and the injury of her male companion.
Officers and emergency services were called to the northbound carriageway between junction 11 (Banbury) and junction 12 (Gaydon) after the multiple-vehicle collision happened just after 7pm on Saturday.
Police said the incident involved four cars and as well as the van.
A spokesperson for the West Midlands Ambulance Service told the Herald: “We were called at 7.13pm on Saturday (28th September) to reports of a multi-vehicle RTC [road traffic collision] on the M40 between junctions 11 and 12.
“Two ambulances, a paramedic officer and the critical care car from the Air Ambulance Service attended the scene. Crews arrived to find a woman being given CPR by a passing private ambulance crew and fire colleagues.
“WMAS ambulance staff took over resuscitation efforts on the woman, a passenger from a car involved in a collision, but sadly nothing could be done to save her and she was confirmed dead on scene a short time later.
“The driver of the same car, a man, received treatment on scene for injuries before being conveyed to University Hospital Coventry and Warwickshire for further observations.”
The van driver fled the scene on foot, and a police helicopter was seen by witnesses to be searching for the suspect.
The collision left a tailback of vehicles stuck on the motorway in the dark while emergency services attended the scene.
One driver said on Twitter: "I’m stuck in it, at least three fire trucks have driven passed, five ambulances and a few police and rapid response. "There was a helicopter with a searchlight circling for half an hour. Whatever has happened up ahead it’s bad.”
Another traveller, Kerry O'Grady, said on Facebook: “Me, my daughter and her children were also sitting there for three hours or so. Shortly before the accident we were passed by several cars doing what must have been 90-100mph. We commented on it at the time. So many people break the speed limit. Perhaps because it is a straight stretch? Who knows. It was awful seeing the debris and all the mangled cars.”
Eyewitness Laura Dempsey added: “I was in the hold up for over three hours this evening. When we eventually crawled past, I counted six vehicles. It was devastation.”#
The road remained closed for sometime, with the southbound carriageway opening first, followed by the northbound section on Sunday morning.
It is the third serious incident in the same stretch of the M40 in recent weeks.
A male van driver sadly died on Thursday, 12th September after driving into the back of a lorry at the B4455 Fosseway Bridge crossover between junctions 12 and 13.
While a man in his 30s, was taken to hospital with serious injuries to his legs on Saturday, 21st September after he was hit by several vehicles on the northbound carriageway between junction 11 for Banbury and junction 12 for Gaydon around 8pm.