Second woman dies after fatal crash on M6

11:11am Sunday 6th July 2008

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A man remains in a serious condition in hospital following a horrific motorway pile-up north of Preston that has claimed the lives of two women.

Friends Zoe West, 34, and Victoria Pickering, 27, who were both from Gosport, died following the smash on the M6 in the early hours of Friday morning.

Southampton man John Angus Marr, 71, who was in a separate car, sustained severe arm injuries. He is now in a stable condition in the Royal Preston Hospital.

Victoria Pickering, a passenger in a red Ford Escort, was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash, which happened on the M6 in Broughton at 1.10am.

Zoe West, who was driving the Escort, suffered severe brain injuries and was rushed by ambulance to the Royal Preston Hospital.

She lost her fight for life in the early hours of yesterday morning.

All three Hampshire residents had to be cut out of their cars by firefighters using special cutting equipment.

The motorway smash - which happened on the northbound carriageway and led to the busy road being closed for nearly seven hours - involved two cars, a lorry and a van.

Police have said they believe a Mercedes Sprinter van hit the back of the lorry, followed by the Vauxhall Astra driven by Mr Marr and the Escort.

The 61-year-old driver of the lorry suffered whiplash in the accident and is now recovering at home.

The driver of the Mercedes van sustained minor injuries.