Watch terrifying moment a van comes flying over M40 crash barrier after the driver fell asleep at the wheel

A motorist was travelling along the M40 near Birmingam at the Gaydon Interchange when suddenly a van that had been travelling in the opposite direction came flying over the crash barrier.

Barry, a 65 year-old driver for kitchen and bathroom manufacturer Lark & Larks Ltd. who was in the fast lane at the time acted swiftly to swerve from the direct path of the other van - whose driver was said to have fallen asleep at the wheel.

The flying van also managed to steer clear of the HGV lorry, driving just ahead of Barry who caught the alarming scenes on his dashcam at 6.05am yesterday morning (March 23).

Miraculously both van drivers escaped with minor injuries. Although the vehicles were damaged.

What been said about the crash from those involved?

Barry’s vehicle dashcam caught the whole ordeal on camera - and shows just how close he came to disaster.

Martin Larkin, 52, operations director at Larks & Larks Ltd. said he was thankful all was well.

"It was one of our drivers who was on the receiving end of the crash," he said. "Barry was pretty shaken up but he appears to be okay.

"He and the other driver both managed to walk away from it. He took the afternoon off to go to the doctors for a check over.

"He said the other guy walked away from the accident with just a cut on his face and a cut on his hand - which is unbelievable, really, when you look at the footage.

"He was lucky to avoid the HGV driver that was in front of Barry. It could have been a lot worse.

"The ambulance took the other driver away to the hospital for observation, but he seemed to be okay.

"Our van took significant damage to the front, and was left with a big hole in the side panel a couple of meters in length.

"We’re waiting to hear whether that’s fixable and how much it will cost.

"But I’m just glad our driver seems to be okay. He’s got a day off work today anyway, so we’ll check in on him later on."

What have the emergency services said about the incident?

Lanes were closed while authorities worked to clear the scene and repair the crash barrier.

West Midlands Ambulance Service said it was called to the scene, between junctions 12 and 13, at 6:09am.

"One ambulance and a paramedic officer attended the scene," a statement added. "On arrival we discovered one patient, a man, who was the van driver.

"He was treated for minor injuries before being taken to Warwick Hospital for further assessment."

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