M5 Crash Lorry Driver Dies In Hospital

The driver of a lorry that crashed into the rear of a stationary bus on the M5 - killing a passenger and injuring more than 20 - has died in hospital.

West Midlands Police said the 65-year-old haulier from Somerset lost his life shortly after 9pm on Saturday night at a Birmingham hospital.

They have not yet released his name.

A 35-year-old man on the bus was killed in the early morning crash. Another passenger remains in a critical condition at the New Queen Elizabeth Hospital with head and leg injuries.

The bus, which was not fitted with seatbelts, was reported to have broken down amid thick fog in a "live" lane of the M5 near Frankley Services.

The lorry driver was en route from Manchester to Devon when his Volvo vehicle struck the single-decker bus, which was carrying a group of fruit-pickers, near to junction three of the M5 at Halesowen.

The driver, whose family had travelled from the South West to be with him in hospital, has yet to be named by police.

The Central Motorway Police Group was alerted to the crash at 6.24am on Saturday and emergency crews treated more than 20 bus passengers, who were being driven from Birmingham to the Evesham area of Worcestershire.

Emergency services said the bus victim from the Smethwick area was confirmed dead at the scene.

The southbound M5 was closed for around eight hours and a detailed investigation into the cause of the collision is now under way.

The driver of the bus was arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving and has been released on police bail.

Fowler Welch, the lorry driver's employers, released a statement saying: "Fowler Welch has sadly lost a member of its team as a result of the incident on the M5 on the 24th of March.

"Our thoughts are with the family of our driver, the family of the other fatally injured individual, and all those involved in the accident.

"The many messages of support and sympathy we have received since the news was announced on this very sad weekend have been appreciated by all of us here at Fowler Welch."

Inspector John Thompson, from the Central Motorway Police Group, said: "This tragic incident has now claimed its second life.

"Our thoughts remain with the friends and family of those who have died during this difficult time."