M6 blocked for seven hours as man seriously injured in lorry crash
The driver of the lorry has been arrested on suspicion of dangerous driving.
A man has been seriously injured in a crash between a lorry and a van which blocked the M6 for more than seven hours.
The man, aged 54, was trapped in the wreckage of the van for around 30 minutes after the southbound crash happened near Spaghetti Junction at around 1.15am.
A 55-year-old man believed to have been driving the lorry has since been arrested on suspicion of causing serious injury by dangerous driving.
Queues of traffic snaked back more than seven miles through Great Barr towards Wednesbury as the southbound route stayed closed throughout rush hour.
All lanes were reopened at around 9am once collision investigators had finished examining the scene between Junction 6 for the Aston Expressway and Junction 5 for Castle Bromwich.
Images taken by firefighters at the scene showed debris left scattered across the carriageway next to the mangled Mercedes Sprinter van the injured man had been driving.
Ambulance officials said the man was trapped in the silver Sprinter for around 30 minutes before being taken to Birmingham's Queen Elizabeth Hospital with serious chest and abdominal injuries.
Police are now appealing for any witnesses or people with video footage of the crash to come forward.
Detective Sergeant Paul Hughes, from West Midlands Police's Collision Investigation Unit, said: "This was a serious collision on a main route into Birmingham.
"Even at that time of the day, we believe there would be a number of vehicles on the road and people who may have witnessed what happened.
"We are keen to hear from anyone who was in the area, particularly those who may have dash cam footage, and can assist us in our investigations."
As well as causing major southbound tailbacks, there were delays of around 30 minutes northbound as people slowed down to view the crash site, while the A34 and other surrounding roads were also heavily congested.
