Why do roads need to remain closed for so long after a crash?

[Puddingpieplum]

Reading this morning about a 3 car crash on the M4 where someone sadly died, RIP.

The motorway was closed for 13 hours, with some traffic being held overnight for 5 hours. To my mind this causes risks to people stuck in traffic without food and fluid. People who may need medication. Of course the people who then tear through country lanes looking for a route to work / their appointment etc.

Of course casualties/ bodies need to be removed, accident scene photos taken, the road cleaned and made safe etc, but 13 hours?!

Does anyone know the reasoning behind these very long closures? I'm so curious.

It can take a long time to stabilise a seriously injured person, mobilise an air ambulance etc before they are even removed from the scene of the accident.

Last year we were caught up in the traffic jam when there was a fatality on the ring road around Bristol. The accident happened about 3pm on a weekday. The nature of the road at that point meant that the 2 lanes were blocked with all the vehicles pulled over to the verge or central reservation. No hard shoulder or pavements to move to as the road goes through a cutting in rocks. At least 20 emergency vehicles went down through our cars, lorries etc. After about 3 hours we finally got the OK to do a U turn and go back up way we had come. Lorries were being parked up as either drivers had run out of driving hours or needed extra space to turn. Imagine several hundred cars all U turning and returning to the previous roundabout where policemen were directing the traffic (by now its rush hour on on of the city's busiest roads). We finally hot home around 8pm. We were 10 minutes from home before the accident happened.

It's a sad fact of life that if you travel on roads you will probably at some point be held up by a bad accident, especially motorways. You should always have food & water, portable charger, warm clothing, blankets etc in the car in case of breakdown or getting stuck. There was an excellent thread a few weeks ago where the op had broken down and posters came up with a brilliant emergency kit list. I ended up buying foil blankets, escape hammers and a she wee.
RIP to the poor person that lost their life xx

It can take a long time to stabilise a seriously injured person, mobilise an air ambulance etc before they are even removed from the scene of the accident.

They may need to bring in specialised cutting equipment to free casualties from vehicles. Sometimes they carry out amputations on the spot, if it's the only way to get the person out.

And they also need to be sure that everyone who was in a crashed vehicle is accounted for.

Jesus Christ. Boo hoo if people get hungry and need a wee. Those who are a bit uppity about it must have never had to go through the anguish of losing a loved one to an RTA. I have. It is a bit worse than being peckish and being delayed getting home.

Pretty sure the police only close roads when it’s necessary. Debris and damage can spread to more than one side of the carriageway. Sometimes they need access. Sometimes investigations are complex and there is damage to repair. Sometimes something else is more important than getting home for dinner on time. The thought of people being pissy about being delayed while my brother’s body was trapped in his car makes feel sick to my core. But reading some of these replies it’s clear that’s how selfish some people are.

It’s also worth remembering that one bit debris left on the road accidentally could easily end up causing another nasty accident.

being stuck in traffic isn’t fun, but it’s a lot better than being stuck in the middle of the accident.

From the other side of the discussion. My brother died in a car crash in which he was thrown some distance from the car, he was missed by police at first (this wouldn’t have changed the outcome). The driver initially stated the other passenger had been driving. Down to the meticulous work that the police, forensics, crash investigators etc did that night they were able to recreate, as such, the whole crash. They were able to prove the driver was in fact the driver, and really importantly to me (it’s strange what becomes important) prove the car was driving below the speed limit - the driver was very inexperienced (didn’t have a license) and skidded on black ice, not knowing how to react hit the kerb and the car flipped.
This all was able to provide the evidence in which a successful prosecution was achieved - 18mths for causing death by dangerous driving (I believe the law has since been changed).
I will be forever grateful that they were able to keep the road closed for as many hours as needed to enable us, as a family, to know what happened to my brother that night.

@Puddingpieplum I was going to suggest the Crash Detectives programme. It was very enlightening as to what happens after crashes and how much they need to do to make sure they have all the information about how the crash might have happened before the road is reopened. Plus making sure the road is safe for everyone else. It's well worth a watch.

Mines in the boot. I can routinely go without food for 16 plus hours but I'm a medically fit adult. I'm not a bottle feed baby or a diabetic. Just trying to imagine a world where everyone doesn't think and act exactly like me

@DyslexicPoster I know a lot of people don’t think that way, you are right. Hopefully those that are not prepared might read things like this and start to think about it. I said also further down that I’m sure diabetic and those with children and babies think of these things, it’s inbuilt them to be prepared…mostly.

Crash Detectives is absolutely brilliant - well worth a watch. Explains it all

I also agree with watching Crash Deyectives.

There is one chance for investigators to examine the scene with all vehicles and debris in situ. It needs to be done thoroughly. Once the scene is cleared, there may be no going back and evidence could be lost.