The M6 in Cheshire reopened this morning after a crash in which a lorry driver was killed forced its closure for nearly 11 hours.
The motorway was shut between junction 16 at Barthomley and 18 at Holmes Chapel shortly after 5.30pm yesterday when two HGVs collided, causing one to jack-knife and block three lanes of the southbound carriageway.
The other vehicle left the road and came to rest in a ditch, while a car and a van collided in a second incident.
Lanes two and three of the northbound carriageway were also closed to assist the emergency services in the rescue operation, Cheshire Police said.
The dead driver was initially trapped in his cab and had to be freed by fire crews before being treated by paramedics at the scene. He died a short time later.
He was driving a foreign-registered vehicle and a police spokeswoman said inquiries are ongoing to identify him and locate his next of kin. Nobody else was injured.
Motorists were advised to steer clear of the area and seek alternative routes after tailbacks quickly developed from the scene of the collision. The motorway fully reopened at around 4.20am today.
Anyone who witnessed either incident should call the North West Police Motorway Group on 101.