Satch
MB Enthusiast
- Joined
- Nov 24, 2003
- Messages
- 3,508
- Location
- Surrey
- Car
- S211 E320Cdi Avantgarde Estate & Toyota Land Cruiser
By David Williams and Patrick Sawer, Evening Standard
12 August 2004
"A man who drove the wrong way along a motorway died today in a head-on crash which left another person seriously injured and thousands of Gatwick-bound holidaymakers facing long delays.
The motorist was driving a Rover southbound along the northbound carriageway of the M23 at Burstow, near the airport, when he collided with a Honda car. The Rover driver was pronounced dead at the scene of the 3am crash.
A passenger in the Honda was taken to East Surrey Hospital in Redhill with potentially life-threatening injuries. The Honda driver was also injured, though less seriously. The road was cleared of wreckage and reopened by 8am, a Surrey Police spokesman said - but only after thousands of holidaymakers had become caught up in rush-hour mayhem.
The motorway was closed northbound between junctions 8 and 9, causing a huge back-up in traffic for those travelling north to the airport. Those coming from the opposite direction were also affected as they tried to reach Gatwick from the M25, with massive delays on the M23 turn-off to the airport. Commuters had to divert to reach the M25 from the south."
12 August 2004
"A man who drove the wrong way along a motorway died today in a head-on crash which left another person seriously injured and thousands of Gatwick-bound holidaymakers facing long delays.
The motorist was driving a Rover southbound along the northbound carriageway of the M23 at Burstow, near the airport, when he collided with a Honda car. The Rover driver was pronounced dead at the scene of the 3am crash.
A passenger in the Honda was taken to East Surrey Hospital in Redhill with potentially life-threatening injuries. The Honda driver was also injured, though less seriously. The road was cleared of wreckage and reopened by 8am, a Surrey Police spokesman said - but only after thousands of holidaymakers had become caught up in rush-hour mayhem.
The motorway was closed northbound between junctions 8 and 9, causing a huge back-up in traffic for those travelling north to the airport. Those coming from the opposite direction were also affected as they tried to reach Gatwick from the M25, with massive delays on the M23 turn-off to the airport. Commuters had to divert to reach the M25 from the south."