M5 crash: Lorry driver dies crashing into HGV protecting car
- Published
Police were called to the M5 between Gloucester and Tewkesbury at about 05:20 BST
A lorry driver died when he crashed into another HGV that had stopped to protect a stationary car on the M5.
The 37-year-old from Bristol died at the scene of the crash, near Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire, on Sunday morning.
The car driver, a 21-year-old man, was arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving and driving under the influence of drink and/or drugs.
He has since been released while inquiries continue.
The M5 was closed in both directions after the crash
Police were called to reports a car had lost control on the northbound carriageway between junctions 9 and 11 near Tewkesbury and Gloucester.
A lorry had stopped to protect the vehicle from passing traffic and to check on the driver when another lorry crashed into it, police said.
The noise of the impact was heard several miles away by people in areas including Gotherington, Fiddington and Bishops Cleeve.
Farmer Ray Knight, who lives near the M5, said he heard "a great big bang" at about 05:40 BST when he was feeding his cattle.
"I looked outside, didn't know what it was so carried on as normal and then a few minutes later, there was a second one.
"Ten minutes later we heard a third one [bang] and by that point you could see the black smoke and there was a glow in the sky, which I presume was a fire," Mr Knight said.
Allow Twitter content?
This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’.
The motorway was closed in both directions following the crash.
The southbound carriageway reopened later on Sunday, with the northbound lanes fully reopening at about 02:52 BST on Monday.
Police are appealing for witnesses and dashcam footage.