Motorists travelling on the road said it was a miracle the lorry did
not smash into cars when it plummeted, but police fear there were more
casualties than the driver, a man in his 30s.
The crumpled lorry could be seen lying on the road after it was thought to have tumbled from the bridge above
Essex Police said: "As there was extensive damage to the vehicle,
work is also being carried out to ensure that there have been no other
casualties as a result of the collision.
The A12 was closed as emergency services dealt with the crash, which
left a lorry wreckage spread across the road in Witham, Essex
"The trailer has been forensically recovered by the multi-agency
response team and is being searched to ensure that there are no other
fatalities."bOne lane of the A12 southbound has reopened this morning as police
continue to investigate and remove 26 tons of batteries from the
container.
A witness to the crash told BBC Essex: "I'm going home northbound, and I've come around the bend, and I couldn't believe what I was seeing. "I saw this lorry hit the barrier on the bridge and all the metal
railings were flying off like anything, and I thought, 'Jesus, he's
going to come over'.
"The traffic started to slow down on the northbound of the A12, and
then the lorry's just come off the bridge, gone through the trees on the
embankment, and just come all the way down and smashed on to the floor,
and all the railings, all the concrete, came down on to the floor.
"It's a miracle that no cars were hit on the A12. "I'm not allowed to say anything else of what I saw, as I slowed
right down - there were no police there, just other lorry drivers
stopping to help.
"It was horrific, absolutely horrific. It's something like out of an adventure movie, I'm quite shaken up about it. "I don't know what's happened, it was just crazy."
