A HUDDERSFIELD solicitor was stuck for nearly an hour and a half following the crash on the Elland bypass.

Meltham man Nigel Priestley was on the way to collect his daughter from Calderdale Royal Hospital in Halifax when the HGV ploughed into the central reservation.

“I was coming around the sweeping bend near the Sowerby Bridge lights so I didn’t see the accident but I was only about nine cars back,” said the 59-year-old last night.

“Whatever happened, clearly a driver in the outside lane hit the barrier and his wagon ended up on its side.

“About four vehicles ahead of me there happened to be a non-emergency ambulance so the paramedics went over to help the driver trapped in his cab.

“Very soon after that the other ambulances arrived followed by the Yorkshire Air Ambulance.”

Mr Priestley, who works at Ridley and Hall Solicitors on Market Street, said up to 100 vehicles were stuck on the bypass following yesterday afternoon’s accident.

“We were all very concerned about the driver. It was clearly a severe accident because the lorry had broken through the central reservation,” he said.

“The reservation was removed for a distance of 30 metres and a lamp-post was severely dented.

“Thank God for that central reservation because it served its purpose. It’s a very busy stretch of road and the reservation stopped a very big wagon creating mayhem on the other carriageway.”

The driver was taken away by ambulance at around 2.15pm and the trapped vehicles were able to leave the scene about 15 minutes later.

Mr Priestley said: “People displayed the good British spirit of waiting.

“The police re-routed traffic along the road to Sowerby Bridge. They were very good, they cleared debris to allow us to pass.”