Personal injury news

Young woman killed in horrific motorway car accident

A young motorist died instantly when her car was sliced in two in a horror car accident on the M1 near Sheffield.

The 22-year-old woman, who has not been named, was killed as her Ford Fiesta hit the central reservation before spinning out of control and careering across the carriageway. Her vehicle ploughed into a Ford Ka and then rebounded into the path of a Renault Clio.

Emergency services rushed to the scene of the car crash and paramedics treated the survivors. The driver of the Ka, a 57-year-old man from Derby, was taken to the Northern General Hospital with personal injuries caused by his seatbelt, and the 21-year-old woman driving the Clio was treated for shock and a whiplash injury.

Firefighters arrived at the road traffic accident to find the Ford Fiesta so badly damaged that it was almost unrecognisable. Three wheels were missing, the front half of the vehicle had been sliced away as far back as the dashboard, and the engine had been forced out of the car as a result of the impact. The body of the young woman was not initially reachable, and emergency crews had the heart-rending job of cutting through the wreckage in order to recover the corpse.

Ryk Matysiak, Tankersley fire station watch manager, said, "Our first job was to check for casualties and stop the traffic, because vehicles were still coming towards the site of the accident.

"Then we made the scene safe and, eventually, cut the fatality free."

The car accident occurred at 11.30pm on Saturday 22nd April on the Tinsley Viaduct flyover near junction 34 of the M1, and both carriageways of the motorway were closed for over four hours.

Police are appealing for any witnesses to call the Police Accident Witness Helpline on 0114 220 2970.