DRIVERS who witnessed a car crash into the back of a fire engine on the motorway are urged to call police.

The collision was one of two that occured on a 400-yard stretch of slip road between M5 junction 4a and M42 junction 1 betweeen 6.30am and 6.45am yesterday.

The first crash involved a blue Peugeot 207, a yellow Fiat Punto, and a green BMW 323i.

Whilst paramedics and firefighters dealt with casualties, there was a second crash involving a stationary fire engine and a blue Vauxhall Vectra.

The vehicle involved was carrying three men, believed to be in there 30s. One had suffered major trauma and went into cardiac arrest.

Paramedics carried out emergency treatment before he was taken to Selly Oak Hospital in Birmingham.

A second man suffered arm and spinal injuries. He was immobilised using a neck collar and spinal board and transferred, along with a third man who had suffered minor injuries, to Alexandra Hospital in Redditch.

A further two people were taken to the Alexandra for further assessment.

Sections of the M5 and M42 were closed to traffic, with diversions in place, until the early afternoon.

A spokesman for the Central Motorway Police Group (CMPG), who appealed for anyone with information to come forward, said: “Although these incidents occurred fairly early on a Saturday morning, we believe there may have been a substantial number of other drivers around who can help with our enquiries.

“They may have seen something very specific or found difficulty in controlling their vehicle at or near the location. In either case, we would like to hear from them as their information could be helpful to our enquiries.”

To contact the CMPG - which polices all motorways in Staffordshire, West Mercia and West Midlands -call 0121 6261285, quoting 528/271208.