Lorry driver dies in hospital following M5 crash

West Midlands Police said the 65-year-old haulier from Somerset died shortly after 9pm on Saturday at a Birmingham hospital following the accident, which left one bus passenger dead and another critically ill.

The lorry driver was en route from Manchester to Devon when his Volvo vehicle struck the single-decker bus near to junction three of the M5 at Halesowen.

The driver, whose family had travelled from the south-west to be with him in hospital, has yet to be named by police.

The driver of the bus, which was reported to have broken down amid thick fog in a “live” lane of the M5 near Frankley Services, was arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving and has been released on police bail.

The impact of the lorry crashing into the rear of the coach pushed it across several lanes of traffic and into the central reservation.

A 35-year-old man from the Smethwick area of the West Midlands was pronounced dead at the scene, while dozens of other bus passengers were treated for less serious injuries

The single-decker bus was not fitted with seatbelts and is thought to have been carrying fruit pickers en route from Birmingham to the Evesham area of Worcestershire.

Warning signs

Signs warning road users of fog in the area had been active since 4.46am but police declined to speculate whether low visibility was a contributory factor in the collision. Another passenger remains in a critical condition

The incident took place on the southbound carriageway between junctions three and four.

The carriageway was closed for around eight hours and a detailed investigation into the cause of the collision is now being carried out.

Chief Inspector Carl Flynn, of the Central Motorway Police Group, said a 999 call had been made alerting the authorities to the stranded coach minutes before the crash was reported.

“At 6.12am a 999 call was made by a concerned member of the public about a coach having broken down on lane one of the M5 south,” he told reporters at a Highways Agency control centre in Birmingham.

“The Highways Agency did the appropriate signage on the network and dispatched their resources to the scene of the broken-down coach as is normal practice.

“However, unfortunately at 6.24am a further call was received to say that a large goods vehicle had collided into the rear of the coach.

“Central Motorway police officers were immediately dispatched and arrived at the scene six minutes later and then assisted colleagues from the Highways Agency, the ambulance service and fire service to manage the scene.”