A man in his 20s has been taken to hospital with serious injuries that are being treated as potentially life-changing following a collision involving a vehicle travelling the wrong way on the M1 motorway. The crash happened shortly after 11pm on Monday evening on the northbound carriageway near junction 41, close to Wakefield, West Yorkshire Police confirmed.
Officers said a blue Kia Proceed was travelling the wrong way along the motorway after failing to stop, before colliding with a red Dacia Sandero. The driver of the Dacia, a man in his 20s, was rushed to hospital with severe injuries. The force added that one individual fled the scene, while three other passengers sustained minor injuries.
Three arrests made following the collision
Three people have so far been arrested in connection with the incident, including an 18-year-old man, a 15-year-old girl and a 30-year-old woman. All three have been detained on suspicion of causing serious injury by dangerous driving and remain in custody, according to reports from the Mirror.
The 30-year-old woman faces an additional arrest on suspicion of being over the prescribed limit, police confirmed. Anyone with information regarding the incident is urged to get in touch with the force.
Recent similar wrong-way crashes on UK roads
Last month, two Cleveland Police officers - PC Tom Clough and PC Matthew Blades - tragically lost their lives in a head-on collision on the A66 near Middlesbrough. A Volkswagen Passat, being driven the wrong way following a pursuit, struck their police vehicle. The vehicle was carrying five individuals - Jakub Matusiak, 23, Cole Robert Worthy, 17, Theo Rae, 17, Makai Saddington, 18, and 23-year-old Michael Robert Cahill - all of whom also lost their lives in the collision.
Similar incident on M9 in Ireland
In a strikingly similar incident just one week prior, five more young people lost their lives after travelling the wrong way along the M9 in County Kildare, Ireland, also leaving three adult sisters and a child injured, who had been driving in the correct direction. The five teenagers were identified as Joe Carthy, Alex McCarthy, Kamil Pustkowski, Jeremy O'Brien and Jack Kennedy.
West Yorkshire Police have not yet released further details about the condition of the injured man or the results of any investigations into the M1 crash. The force continues to appeal for witnesses or anyone with dashcam footage to come forward.
