Tuesday 22nd September 2015 – 7.45pm – Murray MacGregor.
A suspected medical episode at the wheel has left three cars damaged on the northbound M6 and about 100 drivers breaking the law.
The incident between junctions 4A and 5 happened at around 4.20pm.
The first medic on scene was an off-duty paramedic doing a shadow shift with officers from the Central Motorway Police Group. He was backed up by a senior paramedic officer and two ambulance crews.
A West Midlands Ambulance Service spokesman said: “The initial 999 calls suggested the driver might be having a cardiac arrest, but thankfully this turned out not to be the case.
“On arrival, the 56 year old driver of a Mercedes was coming round after falling unconscious. There were two other damaged cars at the scene, a Vauxhall Vectra and a Ford Ka.
“As well as the medical incident, the driver of the Mercedes had bitten his tongue badly and had a head injury. He was immobilised using a neck collar and spinal board before being taken to Heartlands Hospital.
“The 38 year old driver of the Ka, who comes from Selly Oak, was complaining of a headache and neck and back pain. He too was immobilised before being taken to the same hospital.
“The driver of the Vectra was uninjured.
“Ambulance staff would like to thank the driver of an Eddie Stobart truck who stopped at the scene to provide assistance.”
Whilst at the scene, a number of drivers ignored the red X in one of the lanes to try and get past the crash scene. Officers from Central Motorway Police Group later tweeted: “I can’t think of polite term to give the 100 plus drivers who have ignored the red X on M6 j4a whilst a male was having a medical episode.”
As the officer was clearing at 5.40pm, the ambulance service received news of another crash on the southbound carriageway between junction 5 and 4a.
He made his way to the scene through the backed up traffic but thankfully the collision between a Ford Mondeo and a lorry was damage only and there were no patients.
Ends
