Horror images as lorry smashes into broken down van on inside lane of M1 while driver sat inside

pA traffic cop has released devastating pictures which reveal the damage suffered by a van after a horror crash on the a data-content-type=section-topic data-link-tracking=InArticle|Link href=https://www.leeds-live.co.uk/all-about/m1M1/a./p pThe vehicle was traveling towards a data-content-type=section-topic data-link-tracking=InArticle|Link href=https://www.leeds-live.co.uk/all-about/leedsLeeds/a on the northbound section of the M1 between junctions 39 (Durkar) and 40 (Wakefield) at around 5:30am on Saturday, November 2./p pHowever, the vehicle broke down in the inside lane of the M1 on an unlit section of the motorway./p pRather than getting out of the vehicle, the driver remained behind the wheel and was inside the van when a lorry smashed into the back of it./p pThe impact of the crash crumpled the entire rear end of the van, but miraculously the incident did not prove to be fatal./p pPolice constable Martin Willis, a roads policing officer with a data-content-type=section-topic data-link-tracking=InArticle|Link href=https://www.leeds-live.co.uk/all-about/west-yorkshire-policeWest Yorkshire Police/a, tweeted pictures from the scene and used it as a stark reminder to drivers to get out of their vehicle if they break down./p pHe said: quot;The driver of this van was lucky to escape with their life after their stricken vehicle was hit by an LGV in lane 1 while they were sat in it./p pquot;It happened on an all-lane running, unlit part of the M1./p pquot;If safe and you can, alight your vehicle immediately and get behind the barrier.quot;/p pInformation from Highways England suggests that if your vehicle breaks down, you should always try to manoeuvre the car to the left-hand lane and get out on the left side before moving behind a barrier if it is safe to do so./p h3 align=center For more of todayapos;s top stories, a data-content-type=section data-link-tracking=InArticle|Link href=https://www.leeds-live.co.uk/click here/a. /h3 p strong LeedsLive has launched a WhatsApp group to keep you up to date with the latest news! a href=https://wa.me/447786313491/?text=Welcome%21+To+start+receiving+daily+updates+from+the+LeedsLive+team%2C+send+THIS+message+in+THIS+chat%2C+then+you+must+ADD+this+number+to+your+phone+book+%F0%9F%91%8D%0AClick here to join/a and follow the instructions on your phone. Your number wonapos;t be shared with anyone else in the group.#xA0; /strong /p