A teenager travelling in a van with his dad has died after the vehicle crashed into a tree on the M6 today.
Part of the M6 near Lancaster was closed for hours after a serious crash on the southbound carriageway between junctions J34 and J33 (Galgate) this afternoon, with drivers held on the motorway.
The smash has now been confirmed as fatal after a 14-year-old passenger was killed in the incident, which happened at about 12.15pm on Easter Sunday.
The teen succumbed to his injuries at the scene after a Peugeot van left the motorway near University Hill and smashed into a tree.
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The van driver, a man in his 30s and the dad of the passenger, was rushed to hospital with serious injuries, where he remains. No other cars were involved in the crash.
Hundreds of cars were trapped in the road closure on Easter Sunday while the emergency services responded.
One driver told Metro he waited around three hours in the queue while ‘wishing, hoping and praying that no one was hurt bad.’
The southbound carriageway was fully reopened to traffic in the evening.
Sgt Martin Wilcock, of the Serious Collision Investigation Unit, said: ‘This collision has very sadly resulted in the death of a young man and left another man with serious injuries and my thoughts are with their loved ones.
‘I would appeal to anyone who saw what happened, and who hasn’t yet spoken with police, or anyone with dashcam or mobile footage, to get in touch.
‘I would also like to speak to anyone who saw the van in the moments before the collision.’
Footage shows shirtless people playing football on the deserted carriageway as dozens of motorists got out of their vehicles after becoming trapped.
One driver said the M6 has ‘turned into the biggest picnic spot in the UK’ after people were hanging out on the closed stretch of the road.
‘Wildest I have seen the motorway be,’ he wrote on X, adding that he hopes ‘everyone is okay.’
Getting out of your vehicle during a road closure could be unsafe as emergency vehicles might have to get through urgently.
Lancashire Police said: ‘We anticipate that the road will be closed for some time, whilst we assess the situation.
‘In the meantime, we’d recommend delaying your journey and driving carefully, leaving plenty of extra time to get to your destination.
‘We’ll keep tabs on what’s happening, and we’ll update you here once the road is open. As always, thank you for your patience and stay safe if you’re out and about today.’
The northbound carriageway was also closed briefly to allow for the air ambulance to land at the scene.
Drivers in the area should prepare for 45-minute delays, National Highways warned previously.
Around 18 million journeys are expected on the UK roads today as Britons are on the move to make the most of the Easter bank holiday weekend.
However, if you are travelling over the weekend, look out for disruption across the roads, railways and flights, including at London Euston station and Gatwick Airport due to a strike.
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