Anorak

Anorak News | M5 Crash: 7 Dead, 51 Injured And Emotive Language

M5 Crash: 7 Dead, 51 Injured And Emotive Language

by | 7th, November 2011

SEVEN people died and 51 were physically injured in the week’s accident on the M5. The media looks around for face of disaster. It spots Emmra Barton. The Daily Mail features her on its front page. The headline states:

“Orphaned by M5 fireball”

The word orphaned suggests Miss Baton is young. She is. She’s 19. But doesn’t orphan suggests she’s a child?

The Mail’s lead story is that Miss Barton lost her mother a few years ago. In this accident, her father and sister died. She’s in coma and being treated at the Musgrove Parks hospital in Taunton.

It’s a horrible story that needs no emotive language from journalists.

Matt Craker survived the carnage. What he: says is compelling:

“It truly was complete and utter carnage. There were flames everywhere. We could hear people screaming, but we couldn’t see them. The heat of the fire was immense. It was utterly horrific.”

Avon and Somerset Police’s Assistant Chief Constable Anthony Bangham says:

“What I am now able to say this afternoon is that our main line of inquiry has now moved towards the event that was on the side of the carriageway and we do believe that while there was fog and it was difficult conditions in the area, that actually from witness evidence there was very significant smoke across the carriageway that in effect caused a bank similar to a fog bank, which was very distracting and very difficult to drive through. We will be doing everything we can to find out as quickly as we’re able to what’s behind that. The vehicles and people who were entering into the smoke bank have just described it as being impossible to drive through and that of course causing them to brake. So we know there was brakes and then there was the impacts.”

The accident occurred t 8:25pm. The rugby club has said previously that its display was over by 8.15pm.

12007152

Image 3 of 13

Emergency services work at the scene on the M5 motorway close to Taunton in Somerset following a 27 vehicle pile-up last night, in which several people were killed and dozens of others injured.



Posted: 7th, November 2011 | In: Reviews Comment | TrackBack | Permalink