Van driver seriously injured in crash which closed A5 in Shrewsbury
The driver of a van which collided with the rear of a "cherry picker"' vehicle on the A5 in Shrewsbury suffered potentially serious injuries in the crash, which left the van with massive front end damage.
The three-vehicle crash happened just before 8.30am yestreday, about 300 yards from the Emstrey roundabout on the westbound A5, leaving the road closed for nearly 12 hours while workers carried out resurfacing work because of the amount of fuel spilled.
A West Midlands Ambulance Service spokesman said: "On arrival crews found a broken down lorry in lane one. There was a Land Rover with a cherry picker on the back of it which had suffered considerable damage to the rear and some to the front.
"The most badly damaged vehicle was a Ford Transit van which had very significant front end damage. The driver was freed from the wreckage by ambulance staff and taken on blue lights to Royal Shrewsbury Hospital with potentially serious internal injuries.
"The driver of the Land Rover, a 24 year old man, had escaped serious injuries as the cherry picker had absorbed much of the force of impact. The man was discharged after being assessed by ambulance staff.
"The lorry driver was uninjured."
Ambulance staff paid tribute to the actions of a nurse practitioner who was at the scene and provided assistance.
Shropshire Fire and Rescue also attended the accident after reports of smoke from one of the cars - which ultimately turned out to be steam from a damaged radiator.
Rush hour traffic was left at a standstill with motorists facing delays of up to 40 minutes while repair work was carried out. The road was closed with drivers diverted along the B4380.
Long tailbacks were also reported on the eastbound carriageway past the crash site and queuing traffic built up on the A49 and towards Preston Boats roundabout and other roads in the area.
The road reopened shortly after 7pm.
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