Man killed in M40 lorry crash into bridge near Oxford services

At around 12.41pm yesterday (Tuesday, May 30), a Volvo lorry collided with the central reservation and bridge support on the M40 between junction 8A and Oxford services. The driver died at the scene and his next of kin have been informed and are being supported, Thames Valley Police confirmed in a statement on Wednesday afternoon. Emergency services had closed the motorway in both directions throughout the afternoon and into the early hours of Wednesday following the crash.

Diversions were in place as blue light services investigated the incident that involved no other vehicles. Structural engineers were called out to ensure the bridge was safe before the road was reopened at around 1.30am today (Wednesday, May 1). Thames Valley Police is now appealing for those with information on the crash.

PC Steve Lane of the Joint Operations Roads Policing Unit, said: "My thoughts remain with the family of the man who died following the collision. "We are carrying out an investigation into the collision, and asking any witnesses or anyone with dash-cam footage of the incident to please come forward. "If you have information then please provide through our online reporting pages, quoting reference 43240198522 or by calling 101 quoting the same reference."

Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue service were also called to the incident with its rescue tender and an appliance from Rewley Road Fire Station attending. The Oxford crew was on the scene for a few hours before leaving. One witness who drove past the incident spoke to the Oxford Mail about the incident.

A nearby driver said: "I passed this scene probably around five or 10 minutes after it happened. "Police were on the scene and members of the public were helping tape the round. "There was a lot of debris spread across my side of the road however at this point southbound side was not shut.

"Unfortunately it looked to be a very distressing scene." Public transport services were heavily disrupted throughout the day and there were delays of up to 45 minutes while the incident was dealt with by emergency services. Traffic was flowing freely at the scene in time for Wednesday morning's rush hour.

The Oxford Mail has launched a book of condolence for people to leave their tributes to the driver online.

Thames Valley Police announced the fatality on the same afternoon that the force confirmed missing woman Iona, 76, had been found in the River Windrush after a search which began more than 11 weeks ago in Witney.

References

1. ^ Body of woman, 76, found after river search (www.oxfordmail.co.uk)