Joint services statement following incident 8699

Joint statement from Fire, Police and Ambulance Services following incident number 8699 this morning.

At 01.47 Tuesday 26th August Police received a report of a road traffic collision on the M4 between junctions 17 to 18. The collision took place half a mile west of Junction 17 on the M4 – Between the Leigh Delamere services and Junction 17. It would appear that there was a collision involving 3 LGVs and an out of service single decker coach on the eastbound carriageway. The trailer unit of one of the LGVs then crossed the central reservation into the western carriageway colliding with a further three motor vehicles.

There have been a total of 13 casualties, one of which was serious and the driver was trapped in the vehicle for over two hours. Casualties were taken to the Frenchay Hospital and the Great Western Hospital.

Police investigations into the causes of the collision are ongoing. The vehicles are being removed from the carriageway but due to their size this may take some time as heavy lifting equipment is required. Damage to the carriageway is being assessed and the motorway will be opened as soon as possible.

A total of 10 ambulance vehicles attended the scene. Two rapid response cars and two BASICs doctors also attended the scene and a total of 13 casualties were taken to hospital.

Wiltshire Fire & Rescue Service working with colleagues from Avon Fire & Rescue Service sent five fire engines, two vehicles carrying heavy rescue equipment and a fire command vehicle with a total of 34 fire & rescue personnel to the scene. They used thermal imaging cameras to survey the scene to check for further casualties. The fire & rescue service have constructed platforms at the scene in order to obtain access to the casualties in the large vehicles involved and also used hydraulic cutting and spreading equipment to rescue the casualties.

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