PICTURES: Police issue plea after horrific crash near Chesterfield

Police have issued an important plea to motorists following a serious crash on the M1 near Mansfield.

These shocking pictures released by Derbyshire Roads Policing Unit on Twitter show the aftermath of a horrific smash between Junction 29a, for Markham Vale, and Junction 30, near Barlborough, on Friday evening.

The crash happened after the car pictured broke down on the motorway. Thankfully, the driver got out of the car instead of staying inside the vehicle.

Just “seconds” later, the car was in collision with a lorry.

The police tweet said: “M1 J29a to J30. We cannot repeat this enough. If you break down on the motorway or dual carriageway with no hard shoulder exit the vehicle immediately. This driver did just that which saved his life. #GetOutStayOut #OverTheBarrier.”

The tweet has been shared more than 200 times.

One person replied asking how long the crash happened after the driver exited the car. The police Twitter account responded: “Seconds.”