Been sat in stationary traffic for over an an hour and a half. According to BBC travel it’s two lorries came together, one of which caught fire. Seen the air ambulance come flying in so it looks like it’s serious.
not good still closed at colsterworth
I saw the smoke on the way down and knew exactly what had happened but I didn’t expect it to be that bad! Here’s to hoping the drivers are safe!
No serious injuries reported 
A road can always be fixed
My mate was on the phone to me this morning as he headed towards it, he went a bit quiet and swore, he then told me that he was overtaking a motor when he spotted an Ice Co lorry broken down with a front blowout. My mate braked to let the guy he was passing out in front of him, and we both agreed that it wouldn’t be long before carnage happened.
My mate reckons the driver of the Ice Co lorry couldn’t limp it off the road as the blowout meant his front end was touching the road. The driver of said lorry was about 200 feet behind it waving a hi via in an attempt to slow everything down and warn them.
I passed about an hour later northbound and it looked like an air crash (contrary to what Speedyguy says I heard one fatality, but tbh I’d trust his info more than mine).
It got me thinking though that back in the CB days you’d probably get two lorries working together to gradually bring the speed of the approaching traffic down and eventually cause an artificial bottleneck which could perhaps prevent this. Having said that, in today’s litigious society if there was a bump three miles behind you’d probably end up in court and to say you MAY have saved a life won’t cut the mustard as it’s hard to prove a negative.
Hope all involved are well.
Pictures I have seen would suggest that a Turners of Soham 15-reg Actros with a “Alan Bartlett” branded trailer ran in to the back of a “Ice Co” Volvo. No reported (serious) injuries. Both vehicles reduced to ashes.
At least the number plate was OK
Update; had another one of our drivers on the phone telling me that he was two or three vehicles behind when the collision happened. He’s given statements to the police etc, but told me that he spoke to the Ice Co driver who showed him the call register on his mobile phone, his first call to 999 requesting assistance happened at 0517, there were two more subsequent calls to the police with no assistance forthcoming. The collision occurred roughly one hour after the first emergency call!
Btw, Speedyguy was correct, there were no fatalities, the only injuries being superficial cuts and bruises sustained by the guy who ran into the Ice Co motor.
the maoster:
the only injuries being superficial cuts and bruises sustained by the guy who ran into the Ice Co motor.
How the hell did he walk away from that?
Not sure mate, but he should go out and buy lottery tickets whilst he’s on a roll I reckon!
Good to hear both are ok.
I still find it hard to understand how these things happen even when you can see a driver advising you of a issue ahead.
Did this happen on a bend? Clear view?
Turner driver will have to explain that one.
buses:
Good to hear both are ok.I still find it hard to understand how these things happen even when you can see a driver advising you of a issue ahead.
Quite easy. Every vehicle has less time to react to the one in front. They see the one in front move to L2 and assume they’re going to be overtaking a slower vehicle. They then see the problem once its cleared and then they move over but that’s now 100ft closer to the broken down lorry than the previous vehicle. Rinse and repeat until you get to the point the vehicle in front moves to L2 and the one behind it in L1 doesn’t have time to react or stop.
That is why you don’t tailgate and as has been pointed out, if we all still had CBs it probably wouldn’t have happened as we’d have had miles of advance warning.
Conor:
buses:
Good to hear both are ok.I still find it hard to understand how these things happen even when you can see a driver advising you of a issue ahead.
Quite easy. Every vehicle has less time to react to the one in front. They see the one in front move to L2 and assume they’re going to be overtaking a slower vehicle. They then see the problem once its cleared and then they move over but that’s now 100ft closer to the broken down lorry than the previous vehicle. Rinse and repeat until you get to the point the vehicle in front moves to L2 and the one behind it in L1 doesn’t have time to react or stop.
That is why you don’t tailgate and as has been pointed out, if we all still had CBs it probably wouldn’t have happened as we’d have had miles of advance warning.
Good post
And also its if you can get out in to lane 2.
the maoster:
I passed about an hour later northbound and it looked like an air crash (contrary to what Speedyguy says I heard one fatality, but tbh I’d trust his info more than mine).
I wouldn’t 
Yeah, I was stuck in it for a bit, had tacho on “rest” fit 29 mins, but managed to get off at the services and go via Bourne. When a police car came through and we all moved in to the verge it made I laugh to see the driver in front come running out of the bushes trying to zip his fly, climb in to his cab and move it out of the way all at once!
EDIT: why has some moron written “surprise, surprise, lorries,” on the fb movie’s comments?
I was doing a Bawtry to Bury St Edmunds run when I got caught in what I now presume to be the gridlock aftermath of this event. Changed my eta from 13:35 to an eventual 17:00.
Guess where i’m nighting out?!!
Thank the Lord that those involved walked away relatively unscathed - that’s all that ever matters, really.