TWO separate crashes on key roads in and out of the county caused huge traffic chaos on Derby's roads.
The first – a smash between a lorry and car – left motorists driving an extra 10 miles to avoid it after it happened on the northbound carriageway of the A38, near Markeaton island, yesterday morning.
And the second, which involved 13 vehicles, caused severe delays for drivers trying to get into Derbyshire when it happened on the M1, near East Midlands Airport.
Following the first collision, police officers were forced to close part of the A38 in both directions for several hours from about 8am, as the lorry had overturned. A spokeswoman for Derbyshire police confirmed no-one had been injured but Steve Bainbridge, crew manager at Kingsway fire station, said it was "exceptionally close".
He said: "When we got to the scene, we found an articulated lorry with a trailer, which had toppled over when it was going round the roundabout. It landed on the back seat of a Micra and actually went right through it.
"It was exceptionally close for everyone involved.
"Everyone was out of the vehicles when we arrived on scene.
"But we were out and about in Derby all day and that accident caused chaos around Derby throughout the day."
A spokeswoman for the Highways Agency said the southbound carriageway was reopened at about 9.30am and the northbound at 12.30pm.
In the meantime, drivers looking to avoid the chaos had to exit the A38 at Kingsway island, follow the A5111, join the A52 at Spondon and then use the A61 to rejoin the A38 at Little Eaton Island.
In the second smash – which happened on the northbound carriageway of the M1 between junction 23A, near to the Castle Donington airport, and junction 24 – police were forced to close two lanes while vehicles and debris were cleared off the road.
There was also heavy congestion on the southbound carriageway as a result of the pile-up.
A spokeswoman for Leicestershire police said there were numerous injuries to drivers and passengers in the 13 vehicles but it was confirmed none of them were life-threatening.
Several people were taken to Queen's Medical Centre, in Nottingham.
