A van driver is in a critical condition in hospital after his vehicle went off the motorway near Preston.
AdvertisementThe M61 was shut southbound on Friday (28 October) afternoon following the crash.
The Ford Transit van collided with a Ford Mondeo in the outside lane around 1.30pm.
The van, driven by a man in his 60s from Greater Manchester, then spun across the motorway, across the hard shoulder and down an embankment where it came to rest – just before Junction 8 (Chorley). He was taken to Royal Preston Hospital by paramedics.
Lancashire Police closed two lanes from Junction 9 onwards while the incident was investigated. Delays of more than an hour were reported until around 4pm when the lanes were reopened.
Sergeant Claire Pearson from the Road Policing Unit said: “This incident has left a man in a serious condition in hospital and I would appeal to anyone who saw what happened to get in touch.”
Anyone with information should contact police on 101 quoting log number 0669 of October 28th.