Boy, 14, and woman die in M58 crash
- Published
The crashes happened 90 minutes apart on the same carriageway
A 14-year-old boy and a woman have died in a motorway crash.
The collision between junctions 3 and 4 of the M58 in Lancashire involved seven vehicles, including an HGV and a minibus.
A man in his 60s suffered serious injuries and a second teenager is also being treated in hospital.
The HGV's driver, a 31-year-old man from Chorley, has been arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving.
A woman in her 90s and two men were also seriously hurt in a second crash on the same road 90 minutes later.
Nine people were injured in both crashes, police said.
'Crumpled up'
Motorist Andy Unsworth, who drove past the site of the first crash about a minute after the crash, described the scene as "carnage".
He reported seeing "tyre burns on the road" and one vehicle "off the road in the ditch".
"It was only as the traffic passed that you could see the other vehicles and the full extent of the accident," he said.
"What presumably used to be some sort of people carrier was crumpled up. Both ends of the vehicle were gone. The scene was carnage.
"It looked like a dozen people or so were standing along damaged vehicles facing different directions on the hard shoulder.
"There was debris everywhere and the scale of it made you instantly know how serious it was."
Highways England said both carriageways will be closed for several hours
Ch Insp Damian Kitchen of Lancashire Police said that the cause of the first crash had not yet been established but stressed that "driving conditions were fine".
Dog walker Helen Green Purnell, a pharmacy assistant from Skelmersdale, saw the aftermath of the crash.
"There was a white van that had fallen down in to the ditch. The air ambulances were flying around," said the 48-year-old.
"It looked very serious."
A spokesman for Allied Scaffolding, which owns a truck visible in pictures from the scene of the fatal crash, said: "We are fully aware of the situation and it is related to our company.
"We are in full co-operation with the police and authorities and will give them our full support.
"Our main concern at this stage is for those involved in the crash."
Allied Scaffolding said it was co-operating with police
The second crash, also on the westbound carriageway, happened just before 10:15 GMT and involved an HGV, a van and a car.
In a tweet, Aintree Hospital said its Accident and Emergency department was "dealing with patients involved in a serious road traffic accident" and advised people to expect longer waiting times.
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The motorway was closed for several hours westbound between the M6 Orrell interchange and junction 3 for Bickerstaffe, and eastbound between junctions 3 and junction 4 for Skelmersdale.
Highways England said all investigation, recovery and clear-up work has been completed and all carriageways have fully reopened.