Driver's miracle escape after HGV overturns shutting M1 near Northampton

Cranes lift the stricken lorry upright following a crash which closed the M1 near junction 16 at just before 8am on Wednesday

Emergency services say a lorry driver had a remarkable escape after his HGV overturned on the M1 near Northampton early on Wednesday (December 28).

The vehicle’s cab came to rest on the concrete central barrier after the truck rolled about one mile south of junction 16 with the trailer sprawled across all four lanes. Yet, according to Northamptonshire Police reports, the driver walked away with just “a few scratches on his hands.”

An update from National Highways confirmed that complex and painstaking work to upright and recover the lorry and to repair the central barrier is likely to keep the motorway closed southbound for most of the day with queues back to junction 17 heading south. The official diversion via Weedon Road, Upton Way and the A5123 towards junction 15A; the A5 between the M6 and Milton Keynes; and on the A43 between Towcester and Northampton are also gridlocked as drivers seek an alternative route.

Traffic trapped behind the wrecked lorry was finally released just after noon, more than four hours after the crash, with a string of lorries turned around and heading the ‘wrong way’ back up the motorway to junction 16.

Emergency services also coned off two lanes on the northbound side to clear up a large spillage with sensors showing delays of up to 40 minutes for traffic heading towards Daventry at 1pm.

The latest National Highways estimate for traffic to return to normal also issued at around 1pm was to have the road at least partially re-opened by around 5.30pm.

Duty operations manager, Jo Dean said: “This is a complex incident and we’re working hard to get the affected part of the M1 southbound back open to motorists as soon as it is safe to do so.

“We’re still working at scene alongside specialist recovery teams to remove the lorry and while that process continues, we’d advise motorists to avoid using the M1 southbound while we deal with the incident. We’d like to thank people for their patience while we carry out this work.”