AN inquest has been opened into the death of a lorry driver who was involved in a crash with a car transporter which broke down on the A1.

The lorry driver, 55 year-old Steven Garstang, from Haverhill in Suffolk died at the scene of the crash on May 22. The inquest was adjourned pending further investigations. North Yorkshire police appealed for information following the crash which happened around 7am south of the Leeming Bar junction on the northbound carriageway of the A1.

The car transporter and lorry were totally destroyed after fire engulfed them both following the collision. The driver of the car transporter escaped without serious injury.

The crash brought traffic chaos to the region involving thousands of motorists with the northbound carriageway of the motorway closed for nearly 12 hours as emergency services battled to deal with the chaos, examined the scene and recovered the wreckage of the vehicles. Diversions were set up from Junction 49 at Dishforth along the A168 and the A19.

Serious Traffic Investigators later asked for the driver of a HGV which went on to the hard shoulder to avoid the stationary transporter just before the crash to come forward and appealed for witnesses and drivers with potential dashcam footage to contact them.