How did he survive that? The remarkable escape of 'extremely lucky' lorry driver in Thelwall Viaduct crash
The driver of a HGV which smashed through a safety barrier on the M6 before falling over 60 feet onto an embankment below the motorway miraculously escaped with only minor injuries.
The 'extremely lucky' driver, now confirmed to be a 56-year-old man, even managed to remove himself from the front chassis cab moments after his lorry plunged to the ground, and was preparing to be discharged from hospital less than 24 hours after the major collision.
Pictures taken in the immediate aftermath of the crash appeared to show a scene of utter devastation on Monday night (September 30). The lorry, that had been travelling in the outside lane of the M6 over the Thelwall Viaduct, careered off the carriageway before landing on an embankment between junctions 20 and 21.
READ MORE Watch the moment lorry crashes through safety barrier and falls off M6 Thelwall Viaduct
A huge emergency services presence raced to the incident at around 6.50pm and closed off the motorway, as 1,000 litres of biodiesel also leaked from the vehicle's fuel tanks.
The fire service performed a major rescue operation to reach the driver, using specialist rope equipment to abseil from the top of the bridge down to the crushed HGV to administer urgent first aid.
Speaking to the Manchester Evening News about the rescue mission, Station Manager Andy Hallworth said that crews arriving at the scene were 'amazed' that the driver escaped mostly unscathed, and that they were 'expecting a much worse outcome'.
"The initial fire appliance attended the northbound carriageway and saw the HGV had left the carriageway from lane four and crashed through the safety barrier," he said.
"Our technical rope rescue unit also attended; the team are trained to rescue people from height, below ground and tight spaces. The incident commander witnessed the HGV on the ground and on its side beneath the bridge.
"Not knowing the condition of the driver, they had to decide the quickest way to access the casualty. The technical rescue team set up a rope access system to administer trauma care within five minutes."
The major operation, sending crews down to the crash site around 60 feet, was carried out in darkness and amid a yellow weather warning for rain, with the elements making the rescue all the more challenging.
"Our rope rescue technician abseiled from the top of the bridge. We also lowered down a hose reel because there was smoke coming from the engine," Mr Hallworth added
"On this occasion, the driver was breathing. He actually climbed out of the cab on his own - but when you looked down from the top, it looked like total devastation.
"Everyone on the scene was amazing. Not everyone is aware we have these rescue capabilities, to rescue someone from height. As much as it is something they are trained to do, it's not something they do everyday in such adverse conditions.
"We were expecting the outcome to be much worse. Without a doubt, the driver was extremely lucky."
Three lanes on the northbound carriageway of the motorway remained closed overnight as extensive repairs to the barriers were carried out. On Tuesday (October 1), the HGV was slowly removed from the scene by police and partner agencies.
An investigation has now been launched to determine the cause of the incident and how the lorry ended up leaving the busy carriageway and plummeting 60 feet.
Inspector Anton Sullivan of Cheshire Police added: “This was a major operation right from the outset, utilising a multi-agency approach with colleagues from NWAS, Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service, Highways, National Highways’ Regional Control Centre, and other departments all working together.
“It is remarkable that the driver of the HGV was not more seriously injured, and other road users managed to escape unscathed. This incident had a rapid response and the scene was well managed by officers in dangerous motorway conditions, due to poor visibility and heavy rain. The recovery phase of the incident was hampered by poor weather and challenging terrain where the lorry had landed.
"Police, along with Highways and the specialist recovery agents, have been working all day to recover the vehicle and trailer which were completely destroyed and to repair the damaged railing on top of Thelwall Viaduct, focussing on ensuring safety and a return to normal on the M6 as soon as possible.
“We want to thank members of the public for their patience with the delays that have inevitably occurred as a result of the incident.”
An investigation into the cause of the collision is ongoing and anyone with any relevant footage or information should contact Cheshire Police on 101, or through the Cheshire Police website, quoting IML-1929945.