A man in his 40s is fighting for his life in hospital today following a seven car pile-up on the M1 just south of Northamptonshire.
Drivers endured long tailbacks on the M1 following the collision, with long queues forming on both carriageways. The southbound section was closed temporarily to allow an air ambulance to land, with subsequent tailbacks stretching back into Northamptonshire.
The driver was airlifted to hospital and had suffered head injuries and was unresponsive.
The motorway has now been reopened northbound between junctions 13 and 14.
Police were called at 8.35am to reports of a multi-vehicle collision near the exit sliproad at junction 14 for Milton Keynes on the northbound carriageway.
Seven vehicles were involved; a blue Vauxhall Corsa; a silver C220 Mercedes; a silver Renault Clio; a green Volvo lorry; a silver Vauxhall Astra; a black Toyota Hilux; and a grey Citroen Xsara.
One driver was airlifted to Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge. They are believed to be in a life-threatening condition.
Three other drivers sustained minor injuries and were taken to Milton Keynes General Hospital for treatment.
A spokesman for Thams Valley Police said: “There are lengthy tailbacks in the area and drivers are advised to consider alternative routes.
“The Highways Agency and Bedfordshire Police are assisting at the scene by re-routing traffic already caught in the tailback and officers are working to reopen a portion of the carriageway as soon as possible.”
The Helimedix team of Dr Nick Foster and paramedics Mark Glover and Ash Richardson attended the scene at 9am, after the M1 had been closed in both directions.
They anaesthetised the man, while working alongside a Thames Valley & Chiltern Air Ambulance crew. The team monitored his condition during the journey to Addenbrooke’s, where the patient was in a serious but stable condition.
Meanwhile, four cars were damaged after a burst water main was blamed for a crash on a busy road on the edge of Northampton this morning.
Water poured over both lanes of the A4500 at 6am and police and highways teams were called out following the crash, which saw one of the cars smash into the central reservation.
Nobody is believed to have been hurt in the crash.
The road was closed temporarily, causing long tailbacks and diversions to be put in place, but was reopened at about 8.30am.
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