Fatal accidents cause major road delays
Two people were killed and two seriously injured yesterday in two horrific collisions that led to long delays for thousands of motorists on East Anglia’s busiest roads.
Lorries were involved in both the incidents - one on the A14 in Cambridgeshire and the other on A11 at Thetford - which both caused the roads to be closed for lengthy spells.
One person died and two people were cut from the wreckage after three lorries and two cars crashed on the A14 at Girton, near Cambridge, at about 7.30am. Emergency services arriving on scene found that one of the vehicles had caught fire and a lorry had overturned, blocking both carriageways of the busy road in the build-up to rush hour.
Bad weather hampered attempts to remove the two lorries, and the A14 was closed in both directions for most of day before being partially reopened during the evening rush-hour. Two people suffered serious injuries and six minor injuries.
Less than six hours after that crash, another lorry driver died in a serious accident on the A11 Thetford bypass. Police said last night that the dead man was a 41-year-old from Poole, Dorset.
The two-lorry accident happened at 1.10pm on the Norwich side of the roundabout with the A11, the A1066 Mundford Road and the A134.
A police spokesman said the lorry in front, a green Hunter Plastics lorry, was stationary at the approach to the roundabout when a second vehicle, a blue Canford Haulage lorry, apparently hit it from behind.
The first lorry was knocked about 40ft forward by the force of the impact and the cab of the second lorry was completely crushed. The 41-year-old driver died at the scene.
The driver of the Hunter Plastics lorry, a 52-year-old man from London, suffered whiplash and minor injuries. No other vehicles were involved.
Both lorries were travelling south and the south-bound carriageway was closed for several hours while the scene was cleared and investigations were carried out. Traffic was diverted through Thetford.
Insp Stuart Offord said: “Obviously the accident will be fully investigated and a report will be prepared.”
A lorry jack-knifed on the A47 just west of the Easton roundabout at about 2.15pm yesterday. There were no casualties.
Two people were injured in a crash on the A1075 yesterday. A black Rover Vitesse and a red Audi 800 collided head-on at the crossroads with Griston Road and Thompson Road just before 7.30am.
Fire crews from Hingham, Thetford and Watton attended and they released the driver of the Rover. Two casualties - one a 40-year-old man with chest injuries - were taken to hospital. None of the injuries was believed to be life-threatening.
Police are keen to speak to the driver of a blue Ford Mondeo travelling towards Watton who witnessed the crash.
Witnesses to any of the accidents are asked to contact police.