A father has revealed the terror he felt after being trapped in the mangled remains of his van for two hours after a horror smash.
Michael Radford, 39, “woke up crushed” after a crash on the M56 in which his vehicle was wedged between two lorries.
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The father of three said firefighters “thought he was dead” after being hit as he queued in stopped traffic after missing his exit on his way home.
He was eventually rescued from the wreckage before being airlifted to hospital.
Mr Radford suffered a broken spine, several broken ribs and an eye injury.
The water supply engineer told the Manchester Evening News: “I don’t remember much from the first impact, I blacked out.
“Then I regained consciousness and woke up crushed. I couldn’t see what was going on and I was gone.
“It took the fire service about two hours to cut me out and I was taken to hospital by plane. I was pinned to my steering wheel and the front of the van was completely crushed to the size of a Ford KA. I was stuck.
“When the fire brigade arrived they told me they thought I was dead with how badly damaged my van was.
“Even I look back at pictures now and ask myself how I’m still alive.”
Michael has been out of work since the April 11 crash and admitted he was apprehensive at the thought of getting back behind the wheel after the “traumatic” incident.
Emergency services were called to the scene around 5:30 p.m. on the carriage heading east on the highway and after he was cut from the wreckage, he was taken to Aintree Hospital.
Mr Radford, who is originally from St Helens near Liverpoolsaid he would never forget the terrifying hours he spent in his van and prayed that he would get out alive and that the fire brigade fought to get him out.
He said: “I’m still recovering. It’s been a nightmare. I’ve had a lot of physical therapy and still go to a spinal specialist. It was traumatic.”
Still haunted by the events, Mr Radford said he had only been a passenger in a car since the horror disaster and said he didn’t know how he would feel if he had to go back to work and drive on a highway again. .
He added that had he not missed his turn he would not have been involved but added “it could have been someone else”.
Cheshire Law enforcement said a 39-year-old man from Bury had been arrested on suspicion of causing serious injury through dangerous driving.
The investigation is still ongoing and the man has been released for investigation.
A Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service spokesman said at the time that five fire engines were present, along with the Major Rescue Unit.
A statement said: “Firefighters were called to a road accident on the M56 involving two lorries and a van.
“The crews have removed a person who was trapped in one of the vehicles and handed them over to the ambulance service.
“Lands one and two were closed while the incident was being treated and an Ambulance doctor was also on hand to treat the victim.”
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