Sixty people have been injured as more than 130 vehicles were involved
in a series of crashes in thick fog on the Sheppey crossing in Kent.
Eight of those hurt in the collisions, which took place in thick fog,
sustained serious injuries. Ambulance crews said 35 casualties needed
hospital treatment in what were described as "horrendous scenes". The
A249 bridge was closed for more than nine hours and reopened to
traffic at about 17:30. One witness said visibility had been very poor
at the time of the crash but drivers were approaching the crossing
with no lights. Others at the scene described a mass of tangled cars,
lorries, and a car transporter. Some reports said the crash went on
for 10 minutes as cars continuously collided with each other. 'People
on floor' The national speed limit applies to the dual carriageway
crossing, with cars able to travel up to 70mph, the Highways Agency
said. Driver Martin Stammers said the scene was "horrendous" and
described seeing cars under lorries and people lying on the floor. He
said visibility was about 10 to 20 yards when he approached the bridge
and saw five cars smashed into each other with one across the outside
lane. He managed to squeeze through a gap between that car and the
central reservation. "For 10 minutes afterwards, all we could hear was
screeching, cars thudding into each other, lorries crashing," he
added. He said he and his son ran to warn other drivers and warn cars
to slow down. "Later, a woman came up to us sobbing saying, 'thank
you, thank you, you saved my life'," he said. 'Smashed cars
everywhere' Jaime Emmett, a 19-year-old student who was driving
through the fog, said she managed to stop in time but a van collided
with her car, and she then hit a car in front. She said the fog was so
thick she could only see a few cars ahead but added: "All I could hear
was the cars smashing in front of each other and I could not know how
far ahead the accident was." Later she said she could see "smashed
cars everywhere", a lorry that had crashed into the central
reservation and ambulance crews helping injured people with one team
carrying a man in a stretcher Source : BBC
Dozens injured as 130 vehicles crash in London
