A WOMAN HAS DIED FOLLOWING A PILE-UP INVOLVING AROUND 20 VEHICLES ON A MAJOR ROAD COVERED WITH FOG.
The A40 has been closed in both directions following the multi-vehicle crash, which stretched for more than half a mile on the A40 near Witney in Oxfordshire, the ambulance service said.
The Met Office issued a weather alert as temperatures were expected to plummet for the rest of the week, with the risk of fog and ice.
The woman driver was declared dead at the scene, while another person was taken to the major trauma unit at the nearby John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford.
A further 10 to 15 casualties were treated at the scene following several collisions at around 8.25am, South Central Ambulance Service spokesman David Gallagher said.
Images showed the mangled wreckage of several of the cars involved, with debris strewn across the road. Reports suggested the A40 was bathed in thick fog this morning.
Six vehicles were said to be badly damaged, while a further 10 to 15 were also involved, with the most serious injuries happening in the middle of the pile-up.
It was really dangerous, says pregnant mother
Pregnant mother-of-two Ami Gaston, from Carterton, was in the car with her partner when she saw the first vehicle crash. She said the accident happened about half a mile from the Witney exit, blocking the right lane.
"A man on his own had skidded and crashed into middle barrier. My partner was driving - we had to swerve out of the right lane to avoid hitting him. His door was open and air bags were released," Miss Gaston said.
"IPHONED an ambulance but couldn't stop. My partner wouldn't stop because I am 20 weeks pregnant and didn't want to put us in danger."
She added that the heavy fog meant the situation was "really dangerous", as it was difficult to see any other car until you were "on top of it".
It was carnage, eyewitness says
Another eyewitness arrived at the scene later and described the "carnage" as multiple cars swerved and crashed on the busy road.
The woman, who asked not to be named, said she "luckily" saw hazard warning LIGHTS ahead as she approached on the slip road from Carterton, and moved on to a grass verge before witnessing the pile-up.
"I saw cars going zooming past me and trying to swerve out the way of the stationary cars but crashing into them," she said.
"I saw one car try swerve in between a Mini and another car, ending up crashing into the Mini and (flying) up in the air.
"I saw two cars swerve as they braked so hard and go flying into the barrier in the middle of the road ... it was carnage," she added.
The incident is likely to cause major disruption for many people travelling across the country following the Christmas break, as the road connects London to Wales.
The A40 has been closed in both directions following the multi-vehicle crash, which stretched for more than half a mile on the A40 near Witney in Oxfordshire, the ambulance service said.
The Met Office issued a weather alert as temperatures were expected to plummet for the rest of the week, with the risk of fog and ice.
The woman driver was declared dead at the scene, while another person was taken to the major trauma unit at the nearby John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford.
A further 10 to 15 casualties were treated at the scene following several collisions at around 8.25am, South Central Ambulance Service spokesman David Gallagher said.
Images showed the mangled wreckage of several of the cars involved, with debris strewn across the road. Reports suggested the A40 was bathed in thick fog this morning.
Six vehicles were said to be badly damaged, while a further 10 to 15 were also involved, with the most serious injuries happening in the middle of the pile-up.
It was really dangerous, says pregnant mother
Pregnant mother-of-two Ami Gaston, from Carterton, was in the car with her partner when she saw the first vehicle crash. She said the accident happened about half a mile from the Witney exit, blocking the right lane.
"A man on his own had skidded and crashed into middle barrier. My partner was driving - we had to swerve out of the right lane to avoid hitting him. His door was open and air bags were released," Miss Gaston said.
"IPHONED an ambulance but couldn't stop. My partner wouldn't stop because I am 20 weeks pregnant and didn't want to put us in danger."
She added that the heavy fog meant the situation was "really dangerous", as it was difficult to see any other car until you were "on top of it".
It was carnage, eyewitness says
Another eyewitness arrived at the scene later and described the "carnage" as multiple cars swerved and crashed on the busy road.
The woman, who asked not to be named, said she "luckily" saw hazard warning LIGHTS ahead as she approached on the slip road from Carterton, and moved on to a grass verge before witnessing the pile-up.
"I saw cars going zooming past me and trying to swerve out the way of the stationary cars but crashing into them," she said.
"I saw one car try swerve in between a Mini and another car, ending up crashing into the Mini and (flying) up in the air.
"I saw two cars swerve as they braked so hard and go flying into the barrier in the middle of the road ... it was carnage," she added.
The incident is likely to cause major disruption for many people travelling across the country following the Christmas break, as the road connects London to Wales.
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