Crane called in after lorry overturns in Cannock
Drivers were caught up in hours of traffic chaos after a lorry overturned on a busy roundabout.
The HGV ended up partially on the pavement after the accident on the island off the A4601 Wolverhampton Road, Cannock.
It happened at the junction with the A460 near Wedges Mills at around 1.30pm yesterday with emergency services called to the scene.
The front windscreen of the lorry could be seen smashed. The driver was taken to Stafford Hospital with minor injuries.
No other vehicles were involved and one lane was initially closed approaching the roundabout from Wolverhampton Road.
However, a crane was called in as part of the recovery process which lead to more than four hours of congestion and further lane closures near the junction.
Queues were caused during evening rush hour with a heavy build up of traffic towards the island, near the Middle Hill junction for the Toll Road.
There were also long hold-ups for motorists towards junction 11 of the M6 and for vehicles heading in the opposite direction towards Cannock.
The damaged driver's cab was cleared by 5.30pm but the Wolverhampton Road was blocked off near to Watling Street so cars and lorries were unable to travel in the direction of the island at the junction with the A460.
Paul Smith, aged 32, was heading from Cannock towards the M6 to make his way home to Walsall, at around 4.30pm.
He travelled along the A460 where it took him 30 minutes to get to the island and decided to turn back due to the heavy traffic. He then spent another half-an-hour on the Wolverhampton Road going back into Cannock.
"It was chaos, there were cars and lorries just sitting there wherever you looked," he said. "It was really heavy traffic."
