Driver in M1 motorway crash dies four months on

He was airlifted to hospital in Coventry

THE DRIVER of a 4x4 which was involved in a serious crash on the M1 four months ago has died in hospital this weekend.

A 57-year-old man was driving a silver Toyota Landcruiser on the northbound carriageway of the M1, in the parish of Cosby, when he was involved in a collision with a blue Volkswagen Polo on September 17.

The 4x4 had left the car- riageway, careered down an embankment and smashed into a copse of trees, Leicestershire Fire and Rescue service said at the time.

Firefighters cut a passenger door off the car to free the man from the wreckage and he was airlifted to University Hospitals of Coventry and Warwickshire with serious injuries.

But he died on Saturday January 7, Leicestershire Police said.

The other car smashed into the central reservation barrier after the collision, but the three occupants were not hurt.

A passenger in the Toyota also escaped unharmed.

Paul Mortimer, station manager at Hinckley fire station, said in September: “We performed a rapid extrication. We had him out within 10 minutes.”

Leicestershire Police are appealing for witnesses to the crash which happened just after 3pm between junction 20 for Lutterworth and junction 21 for Fosse Park.

A spokesman said: “Enquiries into the collision have been ongoing since September last year but if you recall witnessing the incident and haven’t yet spoken to the police please come forward.”

Anyone with any information is asked to contact detective constable 1504 Seamus Burns on 101, quoting incident 418 of September 17 2016.

The motorway was closed for eight hours while emergency services investigated the incident.