Camera footage released by Highways England captures the moment a piece of metal struck a road worker on the M6 after it came off a passing HGV and hit his leg.
He was working on the central reservation as part of the upgrade of the motorway between junctions 13 and 15 in Staffordshire when hurt.
Fortunately he did not suffer any serious injuries or broken bones.
The film was published as part of a campaign to highlight the dangers of unsecured loads on England’s motorways and major A roads.
More than 46,000 items were found by Highways England officers on major routes over the last ten months.
Watch the video
On Road Team Manager Mark Snell, who is based in Hampshire, said: “We have had fence panels, a shed, tools, tool boxes, motorcycle bags and top boxes – the whole contents on one family’s top box was spread all over three lanes as they were on their way to a holiday in the West Country.
“On one occasion there was a double-glazed door and windows on the slip road at junction 6 of the M3 with cars swerving around them.”
Most incidents on are on the main routes, the M6 and M1, followed by the M5, M62 and M25.
The most frequent items dropped on motorways were building or construction materials.
Between June 2019 and April this year there were 9,576 incidents of building/construction items obstructing major roads.
The debris which struck a roadworker