Watch lorry jackknife on M25 and crash through barrier near Darenth Interchange
Published: 08:08, 08 April 2021
Updated: 16:11, 08 April 2021
Dramatic dashcam footage shows the moment a lorry driver's vehicle almost plunged off the M25 and left it hanging precariously over the A2.
The crash caused mammoth queues while the HGV was recovered following the incident near the Darenth Interchange near Dartford yesterday afternoon.
Dashcam video showing the moment the lorry crashed
Video shows the moment the truck begins to snake across the carriageway, brushes the barrier on the nearside and crashes into the central reservation near junction 2 of the M25.
The jackknifed lorry then bounces off the barriers and back across the road smashing into the railings on the opposite side in a plume of tyre smoke.
Fortunately, no other vehicles were involved and the lorry driver avoided serious injuries.
The lorry was left dangling over the edge of the road at the point where it crosses the A2 just after the Dartford Crossing at about 1.20pm.
The A282 and A2 was closed in both directions while recovery teams rescued the lorry last night and the anti-clockwise M25 was also shut.
Repairs have also taken place to the road following the crash.
The A282 remained closed until repairs to the nearside barrier were complete.
Highways England said a "complex recovery" was needed to ensure the lorry was safely removed from the bridge as the trailer dangled over the edge of the bridge.
There were queues of more than six miles and delays of up to 90 minutes on the M25 and the surrounding routes as all roads were forced to close.
A lamppost also had to be replaced forcing the clockwise carriageway of the M25 to be closed.
Highways England confirmed repairs were completed at about 2am and all routes are reopen again this morning.
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Read more: All the latest news from Dartford
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Matt Leclere