Strenuous fog sparks a 100-car pile-up

Motorists are seen at the car-crash site, involving more than one hundred cars on the Isle of Sheppey bridge Photo Jaime Emmett

AN INCREDIBLE 100-vehicle pile-up on the fresh Sheppey Crossing Bridge yesterday (Thursday) was blamed on some motorists driving “like idiots”.

The pile-up, in thick morning fog, left hundreds of people injured in a scene described by witness as “mayhem”.

And Sky News was told by onlookers that some motorists were driving without headlights before the crash at about 7.15am, which closed the A249.

Fortunately, there were no reports of anyone dying in the but police believed some may have been trapped in their cars.

But at least eight people suffered serious injuries, and another sixty people were left nursing minor injuries.

The crash occurred on the London-bound carriageway of the Sheppey Bridge Crossing, near Sheerness in Kent.

Chief Inspector Andy Reeves, from Kent Police, said it was a miracle that there were no fatalities.

“From my perspective, it’s truly miraculous,” he said. “It’s very fortunate.”

A Kent Police spokeswoman said visibility was a problem at the time, and witnesses say there was “very, very thick” early-morning fog hovering over the bridge.

Lives were most likely saved by a quick-thinking lorry driver, who used his truck to block the entrance to the bridge and prevent more cars piling into the chaotic scene.

Driver Chris Buckingham, who involved in the incident, told Sky News: “He was going the other way and … he’s gone down to the end of the carriageway, gone across the roundabout and actually blocked off the road so no more cars could actually inject the dual carriageway before the emergency services got there.”

He added: “Whoever that stud is, I’d like to jiggle his forearm because he’s most likely saved lives.”

As many as thirty medical response vehicles were on the scene, and motorists were warned to avoid the area.

The four-lane bridge, which opened seven years ago and links the Isle of Sheppey with mainland Kent, was clogged with buckled cars, lorries and even a car transporter.

And people were left waiting at the side of the road to receive help from the emergency services.

Martin Stammers, who witnessed the pile-up, told Sky News: “I was very, very, fortunate. I was the last car out of it.

“As I came to the top of the hill, there were about five cars already smashed up, and one was across my carriageway.

“I had to hit my brakes hard, I just had enough space to get through. From then on, all you could hear was the screeching of car tyres and the thudding, which was endless.

“It must have been going on for five to ten minutes. You could hear the screeching, you could hear the lorries thudding into cars, you could hear glass violating. There was nothing we could do.”

He added: “Even after the police turned up, you still heard further down the bridge – a quarter-of-a-mile, half-a-mile away – cars still going into the back of each other. It was horrendous.”

Jaime Emmett, a 19-year-old student, was driving through the fog when she became involved in the pile-up.

“There was a man at the side of the road telling to stop,” she said. “I stopped in time, but a van smashed into me and I smashed into the car in front.

“I was fortunate I was not injured. It was all fairly surreal when it happened.”

Another witness, David Ingram, described the scene as “mayhem”.

He added: “People were going fairly rapid – too quick. We were about 50-60 cars back. Fortunately, people coming on to the island were flashing their lights and swinging their arms like mad to warn us.

“It’s carnage, it indeed is. The fog was very, very thick and you could not see a vehicle in front of you as you came on to the bridge.

“We managed to stop, but the people in front of us weren’t that fortunate. It was mayhem.”

Valentine Elad, a 46-year-old teacher whose car was struck from behind in the crash, told of the eerie aftermath.

“There were cars upside-down on other cars,” he said. “There was a black four-wheel-drive Mitsubishi upside-down on a puny white car, and an Audi upside-down on the bonnet of another car. It was horrible.”

A statement from the Kent Fire and Rescue Service said: “There are no fatalities, but ambulance crews are dealing with a large number of walking-wounded casualties.

“Firefighters have used hydraulic cutting equipment to release five people from their vehicles.”

Edmund King, the AA president said the pile-up may have been caused by “stupid driving”.

He added: “It’s truly bad to travel too close to the car in front in good conditions, and if you do it in foggy conditions it’s an absolute recipe for disaster.

“In dense fog you cannot see the brake lights ahead. By law, you don’t have to have fog lights on, albeit it’s recommended.

“Unfortunately, many people don’t know how to turn on their fog lights. You may need them only once a year but it’s vital they get used.”

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