It was a difficult weekend for our emergency services as police officers, firefighters and paramedics were called out to six serious incidents near High Wycombe and Marlow in the space of four days.
The first occurred at around 6.30am on Friday, October 4 along the A404 southbound carriageway between the Handy Cross roundabout and the Marlow slip road.
Thames Valley Police described the situation as a ‘serious injury road traffic collision’ involving six vehicles.
Sadly, a man in his 50s died at the scene while a woman in her 30s sustained minor injuries.
She was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment, before being discharged.
We are appealing for witnesses and dash-cam following a fatal RTC on the A404 in High Wycombe in which a man tragically died.
— TVP Roads Policing (@tvprp) October 5, 2024
Between 6.10am and 6.25am yesterday morning, a collision occurred involving five vehicles and a (HGV) on the A404 southbound carriageway. pic.twitter.com/Ql6D2PSUVQ
This resulted in numerous tailbacks with some motorists waiting nearly five hours to move, as police warned drivers of ‘heavy congestion’ around Marlow and Wycombe as a result of the incident.
Many drivers took to social media to describe the traffic, with some calling it ‘gridlocked carnage’ and ‘utter chaos.’
One person, who was driving into High Wycombe at the time of recovery operation, said the aftermath looked 'incredibly serious' and that it was ‘desperately sad’ that someone had passed away.
Investigating officer Detective Sergeant Lyndsey Blackaby, of the Serious Collision Investigation Unit, said: “First and foremost, our thoughts are with the family of the man who has tragically died in this collision.
“They are being supported by a specially trained family liaison officer.
“We are in the early stages of our investigation and are still trying to establish the full circumstances.
“Therefore, I am appealing to anybody who was driving in the area at the time of the collision and has any information that can assist this investigation to please get in touch with us.
“If you have dash-cam in your vehicles, I would ask you to please check this and contact us to provide this to us. You can upload any footage to the dedicated portal for this investigation.
“Anyone with information about this incident can make a report online or call 101, quoting reference number 43240476618.
“I would like to thank the public for their patience and understanding while the A404 was closed while we conducted our extensive enquiries at the scene.”
The road opened in the late hours of October 4.
One day later at around 10am on Saturday, October 5, there were delays of up to four miles after a crash involving three to four cars.
@BBCTrafficAlert accident on M40 northbound betond High Wycombe - 3 or 4 car pile up. Huge queue back to beyond High Wycombe exit. Police in attendance holding traffic
— Sue Stewart (@suestewart200) October 5, 2024
This occurred between junctions 4 and 5 along the M40 near High Wycombe, as some cars were stuck in traffic for around 35 minutes.
Lanes 1 and 2 are CLOSED on the #M40 northbound between J4 #HighWycombe and J5 #Stokenchurch due to a multi vehicle collision.
— National Highways: East (@HighwaysEAST) October 5, 2024
National Highways Traffic Officers are on scene.
There are currently delays of 35 mins and approx. 4 miles of congestion. pic.twitter.com/kdiiwx0RMA
Lanes 1 and 2 of the motorway were closed, before they reopened at lunchtime.
Later on that day, another section of the M40 was forced to close due to a car fire.
At around 8.30pm that evening, the emergency services were called between junctions four and five of the motorway (High Wycombe to Stokenchurch), after a vehicle was in flames.
The road was closed for a short period before it reopened.
There were no reported injuries.
Then, at around 3pm on Sunday, October 6, a crash between a motorcyclist and a car occurred along the A404 near Handy Cross.
This caused several hours of disruption, as ‘normal traffic conditions’ didn’t resume until 7pm.
A statement from Thames Valley Police said: “We're appealing for information following an RTC between a car and a motorcyclist on the A404 near Handy Cross.
🚨 We're appealing for information following an RTC between a car and a motorcyclist on the A404 near Handy Cross.
— TVP Roads Policing (@tvprp) October 6, 2024
The collision occurred just before 3pm today.
👉 If anyone has any information about this incident, please call 101 or make a report online quoting 43240480548. pic.twitter.com/QMAsU5acOI
“The collision occurred just before 3pm today.
“If anyone has any information about this incident, please call 101 or make a report online quoting 43240480548.”
Prior to these incidents, police and fire services closed the M40 northbound entry slip from Handy Cross on Wednesday, October 2 due to another crash.
Another road closure was put in place after a car overturned on the southbound M40 near Beaconsfield early on Friday morning [October 4].
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