Caught on camera: HGV crashes into barrier on M6 and drives off - causing damage worth thousands of pounds

The moment a HGV veered across the busy M6 and tore down a stretch of the central reservation barrier – leaving taxpayers with a hefty bill and causing 90-minute delays for drivers – was caught on camera.
By Gaynor Clarke
Published 25th May 2023, 12:30 BST
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The HGV driver continued their journey, leaving a trail of damage in their wake, which was spotted shortly afterwards by a traffic officer on routine patrol.

As well as narrowly avoiding another vehicle as it veered into the third lane of the motorway, the HGV took out 28 lengths of safety barrier – around 100m – between junctions 10 (Walsall) and 10a (M54).

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The yellow HGV crashed into the barrier on the M6The yellow HGV crashed into the barrier on the M6
The yellow HGV crashed into the barrier on the M6
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The barrier had to be repaired as quickly as possible, which meant closing one lane of the motorway to enable workers to safely carry out repairs.

Traffic was queuing up to eight miles at one point, back to junction six (Spaghetti Junction).

David Hind, from National Highways Network Claims, said: “Incidents like this have a massive impact on the travelling public and the delays prove costly for the many businesses that rely on goods being transported across the country.

“We don’t know whether this driver was distracted for a moment or what caused the vehicle to veer across the high-speed road, but the footage shows we could easily have been looking at a very serious incident and potentially loss of life.

Some of the damaged safety barrier after the incidentSome of the damaged safety barrier after the incident
Some of the damaged safety barrier after the incident
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“Fortunately the steel safety barrier did its job and prevented the lorry going over into the opposite carriageway, but it was important that we then replaced it as quickly as possible to protect other road users.

“We have liaised with the police and it appears that it was not reported, the driver left the scene and left someone else to pick up the bill for this damage. It is important that we protect the taxpayers’ purse and would like to recoup some of the thousands of pounds spent on the repairs.

“So if anyone has any information about this, or any similar incidents, please do get in touch.”

The incident happened just after 6am on Tuesday, May 9 on the northbound carriageway of the M6. The road fully reopened shortly before 11am.

Anyone who has information about the incident is asked to email [email protected], marked for the attention of David Hind.

Related topics:HGVTraffic