Injured lorry driver airlifted to hospital after M20 crash

London-bound lanes closed for over five hours

A lorry driver was flown to hospital with serious injuries after firefighters cut him free from his jack-knifed vehicle on the M20.

The overturned HGV blocked all three London-bound lanes of the M20 between junction 9 and junction 8 on Monday.

Emergency crews, including police officers, fire crews and paramedics, rushed to the incident at 11.30am

The collision involved two lorries and fire crews used hydraulic equipment to rescue one of the drivers.

He was treated by paramedics for injuries described as “potentially serious”, before being flown to King’s College Hospital, London, with injuries to his head, thorax, abdomen and upper leg.

Both sides of the motorway were closed to allow the Kent Air Ambulance to land in a nearby field.

The coastbound carriageway reopened shortly afterwards but the London-bound stretch was closed until 5pm.

Highways chiefs tweeted to warn motorists to expect delays and allow extra time for journeys.

All London-bound traffic was diverted off the motorway at junction 9, and trapped traffic between the junctions was turned around.

A police spokesman said: “Inquiries into what happened are ongoing.”

‘It was mayhem. People were just getting out of their cars and wandering around’

Pictures: Andy Clark Dramatic scenes on the motorway after a serious incident involving a jack-knifed lorry