Woman dies after hen party coach crash closes M62 in Yorkshire

A total of 25 people from the minibus were injured, six seriously, after a collision involving a Farmfoods lorry at junction 32 of the westbound carriageway of the M62 near Pontefract, West Yorkshire.

The driver of the lorry, believed to be a local man, has been arrested in connection with the incident, West Yorkshire Police said.

Chief Inspector Mark Bownass, head of the force’s roads policing unit, said emergency services were called at around 11.30am to reports of a collision between a large goods vehicle and a minibus from South Elmsall, near Pontefract.

“We believe the minibus at this time was heading to a hen party in Liverpool,” he said.

“Sadly within this accident there has been one fatality.”

Six air ambulances were called to the scene, but four were used, taking casualties to numerous nearby hospitals. Among the 25 casualties from the minibus, six people were seriously injured, with one thought to be in a critical condition.

Great North Air Ambulance (GNAA) sent two helicopters, one from Durham Tees Valley Airport near Darlington and one from Penrith in Cumbria, while colleagues from North West and Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire Air Ambulances also attended.

GNAA said one patient was airlifted to James Cook hospital in Middlesbrough and one to Leeds General Infirmary.

One patient, a woman in her 40s, suffered suspected serious chest injuries and was anaesthetised on scene before being transported, while the other was airlifted to hospital also with chest injuries.

Dr David Macklin from Yorkshire Ambulance Service said crews were faced with a “a very difficult scene with multiple seriously injured people”, and praised their “excellent and professional response”.

Police confirmed an off-duty officer was the first person to report the accident and stayed at the scene to help, while members of the public also helped give first aid.

Dave Walton, assistant chief fire officer at West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service, said that firefighters had remarked that the crash was “the worst they had seen in a number of years”.

“The crews that arrived described to me a very difficult scene, some of them saying it was the worst they’d seen in a number of years and some very experienced fire officers have been attending this scene,” he said.

“However, they very quickly got to work and brought in a range of equipment including cutting and lifting equipment to effect as quick a rescue as we could of those casualties who were still in the vehicle.”

A spokeswoman from frozen food company Farmfoods said they could not comment at this stage.

Chartered accountant Pritpal Singh, 28, from Leeds, was travelling back to his office on the M62 westbound when the accident happened.

“It was about 11.30am, I was going in the same direction as the accident, the westbound carriageway. It was effectively gridlocked from 11.30am onwards.

“By noon everyone had shut off their engines and started walking around on the road. By 2-2.30pm three quarters of the cars and lorries were empty.

“I was about a third of a mile back from where the accident was, I got out and walked up to the scene.

“There were probably about 10-15 ambulances, as many police cars, several fire engines.

“In the midst of all the emergency vehicles I could just about see the scene of the accident.

“I could see a minibus which was on its side. It had quite a severe amount of damage on the right hand side.

“The lorry which had collided with it was on the main motorway.”

He said he saw around six air ambulances which were taking casualties away from the scene.

Police have urged anyone who is concerned about a family member or who witnessed the crash to contact them on 101.

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