Crash scene: 13 hurt as pileup closes M4Thirteen people were injured, one seriously, in a motorway pile-up pile·up or pile-up n. 1. Informal A serious collision usually involving several motor vehicles. 2. An accumulation: "the pile-up of unsold autos" early yesterday which caused traffic chaos to thousands of tourists heading home after the bank holiday. The collision, which involved two lorries, an empty coach and four cars, closed both carriageways of the M4 near Chippenham, Wiltshire, for seven hours. It happened after a trailer unit from one lorry crossed the central reservation central reservation Noun Brit & NZ the strip that separates the two sides of a motorway or dual carriageway central reservation n (BRIT) (AUT) → mediana on the eastbound east·bound adj. Going toward the east. eastbound Adjective going towards the east Adj. 1. carriageway carriageway Noun 1. Brit the part of a road along which traffic passes in one direction: the westbound carriageway of the M4 2. and crashed into cars between junctions 17 and 18 at about 1.45am. Fire crews worked for more than two hours to free a seriously injured man from his car. He was taken to Frenchay hospital Frenchay Hospital is a large hospital situated in Frenchay, South Gloucestershire, on the (NE) outskirts of Bristol. The hospital, situated in the grounds of a Georgian mansion, Frenchay Park, started life as a TB hospital (Frenchay Park Sanatorium) in 1921, when Bristol in Bristol, where his injuries were described as serious, but not life-threatening. The remaining 12 casualties were taken to Frenchay hospital and the Great Western hospital in Swindon, Wiltshire. They were not seriously injured The casualty status of a person whose injury may or may not require hospitalization; medical authority does not classify as very seriously injured, seriously injured, or incapacitating illness or injury; and the person can communicate with the next of kin. Also called NSI. See also casualty status. , the police said. Thermal imaging cameras were used to rule out any further casualties. The Highways Agency described the incident as a "very serious crash". It said: "It sounds like a lot of cars on the road for that time of the night and they were most likely returning from the weekend break. We believe that up to 10 cars were involved, which includes those that swerved to avoid the crash then drove off." It said the clear-up operation was complicated by debris and a diesel spill. The westbound carriageway was reopened by 9am and the eastbound carriageway by early afternoon. Wiltshire police said the area had returned to normal by 4pm. 
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