Father of three dies in M8 fireball crash
Thousands stranded in tailbacks for hours after morning pile-up
A MAN died in a fireball crash yesterday that shut Scotland’s busiest motorway, stranding thousands of drivers in huge jams.
A van, two cars and a lorry were involved in the morning rush-hour accident on the M8.
Three of the vehicles caught fire following the collision, which happened on the west-bound side near Livingston, West Lothian, at 8.45am.
Emergency services fought to free those in the vehicles, but 49-year- old Wayne Strickland from Inverkeithing, Fife, died.
Two other people were taken to hospital with minor injuries.
A statement issued by father- of-three Mr Strickland’s family last night said he had a ‘kind and loving nature’.
It added: ‘Wayne Strickland was a business adviser with West Lothian Council and was on his way to work from his home i n Inverkeithing when the accident happened.
‘Wayne was a devoted husband to Bernadette and a loving father to his children. He was loved by his extended family and
‘Wayne was on his way to work’
friends for his kind, pleasant and calm personality. He will be sadly missed.’
It took 20 firefighters to extinguish the flames as thick plumes of smoke – which could be seen from Edinburgh – billowed into the air.
The M8 remained closed for much of yesterday between Junction 2, Edinburgh Airport, and Junction 3a, Bathgate, re-opening just before 5pm.
Some drivers were critical of the response by the authorities. One, who declined to be named, said he had been heading to Glasgow from Edinburgh when he became caught up in the chaos.
‘I cannot fault the emergency services who were there in minutes and did a fantastic job,’ he said. ‘I appreciate, too, that crash investigation specialists had to be given time and space to work.
‘But it is jaw- dropping that the main road network artery was closed for eight hours. It seems the Scottish Government has questions to answer.
‘Are they happy that drivers had sufficient warning? I saw no signs and many people setting off even hours after the accident were caught up. Is there no emergency plan in place to – for instance – get a contraflow going to keep Scotland moving? If not, there certainly ought to be.’
The road was blocked off in both directions as police launched an investigation into the accident.
Specialist officers remained at the scene for much of the day examining the vehicles, debris and the road itself.
But experts said their efforts were hampered due to the fire damage to the vehicles involved.
Inspector Richard Latto, for Police Scotland, said: ‘At the moment we have collision investigators on site. They are looking at the damage to vehicles, the debris on the road and are using specialist equipment to piece together all the evidence that is there to determine exactly the cause of the collision itself.’
The collision happened just east of Junction 3 at Livingston where three lanes are reduced to two as traffic joins the motorway.
It was around noon before cars on the westbound side of the motorway were eventually able to turn around and head towards Edinburgh.
However, the chaos soon spread through the East-Central Scotland road network to the M9 and A8 as diversions were put in place for drivers. Some complained that a lack of signs made the problems
‘Three vehicles caught fire’
worse, as those joining the motorway did not know about the closure until it was too late for them to turn back.
Among those complaining online, a Twitter user, known only as Anna, said: ‘Didn’t know about the crash and went on to the M8 eastbound from Bathgate. No signs tell me otherwise and now stuck.’
Kris Kerrigan said: ‘Two hours and counting in a car thanks to the M8 being closed. Nightmare start to a Monday.’
Last night, a police spokesman said: ‘Police Scotland responded to a four-vehicle collision on the westbound carriageway of the M8, Junction 3 at around 8.50am on Monday, July 20.
‘Two cars, a van and an articulated lorry were all involved in the incident, which resulted in three vehicles catching fire.
‘We can confirm that one male has died as a result of this collision and inquiries are ongoing.’
A Scottish Fire and Rescue Service spokesman said: ‘ The incident involved over 20 firefighters.’
Last night, the Scottish Government referred questions regarding the length of time the key route was closed to Transport Scotland.
A spokesman for the agency said: ‘The police are responsible for that in relation to their assessment of the crash. They determine how long a road will be closed.
‘ They have responsibility for assessment. All we can do is provide comment in terms of the incident.’