Tragic update from police reveals one man died and two were seriously hurt in crash on M6 near Wigan
One man has died and two people are in hospital with serious injuries after a crash on the M6.
As long delays continue for drivers between junction 27 for Standish and junction 28 for Leyland, police have revealed more about a serious crash on the motorway on Sunday night.
They were called shortly after 9.30pm with a report of a car travelling in the wrong direction on the southbound carriageway, near Charnock Richard services.
Minutes later, they received a report of a collision between a Vauxhall Astra and a Toyota Corolla.
The driver of the Astra, a man in his 50s, was pronounced dead at the scene.
The driver and a passenger in the Corolla, both men in their 40s, were taken to hospital with serious injuries, where they remain.
An investigation is under way and police are conducting inquiries at the scene. At this stage, they understand the Vauxhall Astra was travelling in the wrong direction.
The motorway remains closed southbound while inquiries are ongoing, with lanes two and three on the northbound carriageway also shut.
National Highways are reporting delays of two hours 10 minutes on the northbound carriageway and 30 minutes for drivers approaching the closure on the southbound carriageway.
Sgt Rebecca Price, of Lancashire Police’s road policing unit, said: “A man has sadly died in this collision and our thoughts are with his loved ones at this time.
“Our investigation is very much in its early stages and we are conducting a number of enquiries, some of which will require assistance from the public.
“We know that this collision has had a significant impact on traffic in the area, and we thank those of you who were stuck in the traffic or had your route delayed for your patience whilst we responded to the incident.
“This will understandably cause some discussion in the local community, but I want to take this time to ask that you please refrain from speculating online or otherwise and allow our team to carry out our investigation. Please remember that there are real people who have been affected by this collision who may see your comments online.
“I want to make a direct appeal to anyone who was travelling on the motorway and may have witnessed or have dashcam footage of the collision.
“We’re also keen to see any footage from Blackpool Road in Preston, at around 9.15pm, where we believe the Astra may have been involved in a damage-only collision.
“If you have any information, or footage that could assist those enquiries, please get in touch with us as soon as you can.”
Call police on 101 or email [email protected], quoting log 1162 of October 26.