Authorities must work quickly to determine what caused a road traffic collision on the M5 last night (January 17th) which left at least five people injured, a serious injury expert at Irwin Mitchell has urged.

Gloucestershire Police have revealed that the incident, which led to the closure of both carriageways, involved seven vehicles including the lorry, a VW Passat, a blue MG, a grey Ford Escort and a silver Ford Mondeo.

It is thought that at least one man suffered life-threatening injuries in the incident, between junction 10 and 11 of the motorway, while two other motorists were also taken to hospital. The final pair were assessed at the scene.

The incident comes just months after seven people were killed and more than 50 injured in a serious 34-vehicle crash close to junction 25 on the M5.

Jonathan Peacock, a Partner at Irwin Mitchell’s Bristol office who specialises in serious injury claims related to road traffic collisions, said it was vital that the many questions around the latest incident could be answered.

He said: “Having seen first-hand just how devastating serious injuries as a result of road traffic incidents can be, often leaving victims needing long-term care and support, it is vital that police and other road safety authorities work quickly to determine how this crash came to occur.

“An incident of this size highlights just why serious concerns remain over the government’s proposal to increase the motorway speed limit from 70 to 80mph, as it is clear that at its current level very serious incidents can still occur.

“It is absolutely fundamental that the investigation into this incident leads to a better understanding of motorway safety in general, which in turn could help to boost standards and protect road users across the UK as a whole.”