A people carrier has been destroyed in a crash with a lorry on the hard shoulder of the M4, prompting an urgent safety warning from the police.
Officers responded to reports of a two-vehicle road traffic collision on the motorway in the Thames Valley Police area early on Saturday morning (11 April).
A broken down Citroen Berlingo was hit by a lorry which had veered into the hard shoulder. The occupants had already left the vehicle and were stood away from it.
The impact struck the people carrier so hard with was destroyed beyond recognition. Had those inside not moved to safety, the incident may well have been fatal.
In a statement, a Thames Valley Police spokesperson said: “After suffering electrical failure, the driver of this van did well to get it to the hard shoulder.
“All occupants then made the right choice to get themselves out the van and up onto the embankment and to a safe location behind the barrier before contacting emergency services.
“They were cold, they were getting rained on, but they were safe. Well done to the driver and passengers for choosing safety over comfort.
“This choice proved literally life saving as the Citroen was then struck by a HGV that had strayed into the hard shoulder, turning it into the mess you see in the photographs.
“The HGV driver is now being investigated and may find themselves before a magistrate.
“To be blunt, they are quite fortunate to not find themselves in custody having seriously injured or killed someone.”
The force confirmed that the HGV driver is under investigation, and could face prosecution. No injuries were reported among the occupants of the vehicle.
The incident serves as a stark reminder for motorists to leave their vehicles and move to a safe place if they break down on the hard shoulder.
