Brothers, aged 4 and 10, and woman killed in Christmas Day crash on M6

By CRAIG BROWN
Published on 27/12/2012 01:42

TWO young brothers and a woman were killed in a Christmas Day crash that led to the closure of a motorway for much of Christmas Day.

The boys, aged four and ten, and the 32-year-old woman died after the Ford Focus they were in overturned on the M6 in Staffordshire.

The driver of the car, who is believed to be the boys’ mother, and another

female passenger were in a stable condition in hospital as of tonight after the one-vehicle accident at around 11:25am near the exit for Stoke-on-Trent.

Police said the family was believed to have been travelling from the Thames Valley area.

In a separate incident, two people were killed and a third person was left with serious injuries following a crash in Hampshire, bringing to five the number of people who lost their lives on Britain’s roads on Christmas Day.

The M6 crash happened on the northbound carriageway between junctions 14, near Stafford, and 15.

A spokesman for West Midlands Ambulance Service said: “Crews arrived to find a single vehicle that had crashed and overturned. Two children and an adult who were travelling in the vehicle

suffered serious injuries.

“Unfortunately, despite the best

efforts of ambulance crews, nothing could be done to save the two boys and one woman, and they were confirmed dead at the scene.

“Two other adult women travelling in the car both received emergency treatment at the scene for their injuries and were transferred by land ambulances to University Hospital North Staffordshire.

“All emergency services personnel worked seamlessly

together at the scene in exceptionally difficult circumstances.

“Unfortunately, the outcome was not the one everyone would have hoped for.”

The motorway was closed for several hours in both directions.

A Highways Agency spokesman said checks of CCTV

cameras soon afterwards showed the weather conditions were “dry and fine at the time”.

The car wreckage was

concealed with a blue tarpaulin before being removed from the carriageway and the motorway was reopened in both directions by 4pm.

A spokesperson for Staffordshire Police said: “The incident took place on the northbound carriageway just before the junction 15 exit. We are appealing for witnesses.”

In Hampshire, officers were called at 10:05am after a member of the public reported that a car had been involved in a collision near Basingstoke.

Two people were pronounced dead at the scene while a man, believed to be the driver of the vehicle, received medical attention before being taken to hospital with serious injuries.

It was reported that the silver-coloured car veered off the road near a bend and crashed into trees before flipping on to its side.

Part of the road was closed while police began an investigation into the crash.

The M6 was also the site of

another car accident earlier today that resulted in a man being taken to hospital after he split his car into three pieces by crashing into road signs and a bridge on the motorway.

The driver, in his mid-20s, ploughed into the signage

between junctions five and six on the eastbound carriageway at about 3:35am.

Despite the scale of the crash, he only suffered minor injuries and was taken to the University Hospital North

Staffordshire.

A spokesman for West

Midlands Ambulance Service said: “Crews arrived to find a car that is believed to have been in collision with road signs and a bridge and suffered substantial damage, splitting into at least three pieces. The driver of the car, a man in his mid-20s, was found on scene and had suffered multiple minor injuries, but was extremely disorientated.

“He received emergency

treatment at the scene and his condition was stabilised.

“Considering the damage to the vehicle, the man was

extremely fortunate not to have suffered more serious or even fatal injuries.”

Meanwhile, people took to

social networking websites to express their condolences for the families of those who died in the M6

accident.

Jayna Kawa posted: “Thoughts with the families of the

children who died in #M6 car crash today. So sad.”.

Gemma Galley wrote: “Drove right past the crash on the m6! the ambulance wasn’t even there yet, could see the car with the people still in it.”