A CALDERDALE man remains seriously ill in hospital after his lorry jack-knifed on the M62 in a double fatal crash.

The 50-year-old was driving a Ford Iveco HGV along the eastbound carriageway of the M62 yesterday morning when it smashed through the central reservation onto the westbound carriageway and into oncoming vehicles.

It led to the tragic death of a 56-year-old Leeds man and his passenger.

The Calderdale driver was taken to Leeds General Infirmary where he was treated for serious injuries.

The Leeds man was driving a Ford Ducato van westbound when he was hit by the HGV.

He and his passenger both died at the scene.

Six cars were involved in the pile-up at 6.30am yesterday morning between junctions 27 and 28.

The occupants were taken to LGI with exception of a Subaru driver who went to York Hospital.

The eastbound section of the motorway reopened at 7.45pm last night, while the westbound section reopened soon afterwards.

Highways Agency officials said the third lane of both carriageways remained closed throughout the night while they worked to repair the barrier.

A spokeswoman for West Yorkshire Police said the reason for the lorry colliding into the central reservation was still unknown.

She said: “The incident occurred when an HGV travelling eastbound left the carriageway, jack-knifed and travelled through the central reservation onto the westbound carriageway into oncoming vehicles.

“In total six vehicles were involved in the incident including the Ford Iveco HGV, Ford Iveco Daily, Fiat Ducato, Mobile Crane, Fiat Scudo and a Subaru Imprezza.”

The crash caused chaos on roads around the M62 as diversions were put in place.

Brighouse town centre was overwhelmed with motorists using the A road to get into Bradford.

While traffic on the M621 was at a standstill due to the number of vehicles using the diversion with traffic moving at around 20mph.

A spokeswoman for the Highways Agency said: “The police were working at the scene throughout the day and it was quite late before we were given access to assess the damage and repairs which needed to be carried out before we could re-open the motorway.

“It is likely that more work will be needed today to make the motorway safe.”

Earlier this month the M62 between junction 24 for Huddersfield and junction 27 for Leeds has been named one of the most congested roads in Britain.

Money experts predict that the closure of the motorway can cost the economy £1million per minute which includes people being late for work and deliveries not arriving.

Crews worked on the road through the night and it was fully reopened in both directions just after 6.30am this morning.

Enquiries are ongoing and any witnesses are asked to contact the West Yorkshire Police Motorway Unit on 01924 292 915.