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1997 M42 motorway crash

1990s in Worcestershire1997 disasters in the United Kingdom1997 in England1997 road incidentsDisasters in Worcestershire
History of WorcestershireMarch 1997 events in the United KingdomRoad incidents in EnglandTransport in WorcestershireUse British English from February 2018

On 10 March 1997 a multiple-vehicle collision occurred on the M42 motorway near Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, in central England. Three people were killed and more than 60 others were injured in the crash, which happened in dense fog during the early morning rush hour. At around 6:20 a.m. a lorry, driven by David Fairclough of Wednesfield, entered the M42 from a slip-road at a speed of 56 miles per hour (90 km/h) and, after slowing to 32 miles per hour (51 km/h), rammed into the rear of a tanker, which then struck a car in front and exploded. The ensuing pile-up involved 160 vehicles on a 400-yard (370 m) stretch of the motorway, including 30 on the opposite carriageway 20 minutes later.Five air ambulances and 25 ambulances ferried injured drivers and passengers from the scene to three hospitals. A police car was also involved in the pile-up; one firefighter responding to the crash criticised other motorists for overtaking his fire engine in excess of 70 miles per hour (110 km/h) in the dense fog. Several cars and lorries were burnt to a shell and more than 30 occupants had to be cut free from their vehicles by firefighters.Lisa Dodson, a 21-year-old student from Chaddesley Corbett, was the driver of the car, a Peugeot 205, struck by the tanker and she died from asphyxiation. Malcolm MacDonald, 53 and from Redditch, and 63-year-old Margaret Vining, from Gloucester, suffered fatal injuries in the pile-up. Fairclough, then aged 46, suffered bleeding to the brain and leg injuries. In 1999, he was acquitted at Worcester Crown Court of causing death by dangerous driving but convicted of dangerous driving for his role in the collision. His driving licence was suspended for four years and he served three months in Hewell Grange prison. In November 2001 he successfully brought legal action to have the licence reinstated. A judge ordered him to take an extended driving test.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article 1997 M42 motorway crash (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors).

1997 M42 motorway crash
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N 52.355555555556 ° E -2.0394444444444 °
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M42
B60 1DE , Lowes Hill
England, United Kingdom
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Artrix, Bromsgrove
Artrix, Bromsgrove

Artrix is an arts venue in Bromsgrove, England, located on School Drive just outside the town centre. The building was constructed between 2004 and 2005 on a green field site sold off by the Heart of Worcestershire College Bromsgrove campus (formerly NEWcollege) in 1999 and the Bromsgrove 'Blue Light' centre. It hosts theatre and dance performances, cinema screenings, live music including touring bands, solo artists, touring theatre and both ballet and contemporary dance. Performance of classical music and comedy from well-known performers to circuit comedians. It also works with local groups and organisations as part of Bromsgrove Arts Alive which provides space for theatre performances, a Pantomime a classical music club, spoken word talks (featuring playwright, novelists, poets and historians) and productions by local dance schools. Artrix also has a very active learning and engagement department that coordinates many projects including a youth theatre group and projects in the community for all ages and social standing. The main auditorium has a seating capacity of approximately 301. The seating in both venues can be dismantled to create open spaces for events. Four multipurpose rooms are available for meetings and during productions as dressing rooms. The building also contains a rehearsal room/dance studio on the second floor which since 2013 has been regularly used as a studio theatre in addition to its main house for small scale theatre, music and spoken word with a seated capacity of 90. There is an art gallery on the three floors of the venue. Both the main house and the studio are soundproofed and are not linked structurally within the building, in order to eliminate sound conduction between the two. There is also a licensed cafe-bar. At the start of the COVID-19 lockdown the old operating company found itself recovering from the end of a series of large long-term contract hires and a sudden halt to activities and ran-out of operating finance. Due to this, the company wasn't able to operate legally due to its charitable status and was sadly to go into voluntary liquidation. The assets were then purchased by Bromsgrove District Council with the intention to looking at options to re-open the venue once the situation improved. The venue is currently the COVID mass vaccination centre for Bromsgrove. Several groups are looking at options to reopen the venue.