M6 crash van left 'embedded' under lorry

The blue van was embedded under the lorry, West Midlands Ambulance Service said

A teenager travelling with his eight-year-old sister was "lucky" to escape without major injuries after their van and a lorry collided.

It took fire crews took an hour to cut the pair out of the blue van, which had become "embedded" underneath the lorry in the M6 crash in the West Midlands.

Paramedic Natalie Greaves said the 18-year-old driver was "so, so lucky" to escape with just a broken wrist.

His sister, who was in the front passenger seat, was uninjured.

See more stories from across Birmingham and the Black Country here

It took firefighters an hour to cut away enough of the van to free the occupants

The crash happened at about 21:45 GMT on Tuesday on the southbound M6, just before junction 10a for the M54, near Essington, south Staffordshire.

The brother and sister travelling in the van are from Warwickshire.

West Midlands Ambulance Service spokesman Murray MacGregor said: "On arrival, ambulance staff found a blue van that was embedded under the rear of an articulated lorry.

"Due to the level of damage, it took firefighters an hour to cut away enough of the van to allow the two people inside the van to get out; throughout, the pair were receiving care from ambulance staff."

The lorry driver was shaken but otherwise unhurt.

Crews at the scene of the crash on the M6