Police wait to interview crash man

12 April 2012

Police are waiting to speak to a survivor of the M25 crash which killed five stag partygoers, as the final member of the tragic party was identified.

Benjamin Pert remained stable in hospital after undergoing facial surgery for injuries sustained when a recovery truck carrying the stag party's broken-down minibus collided with a lorry.

Crash investigators hope he may shed light on the moments leading up to what police described as one of the worst collisions to have occurred on the M25.

He has already been questioned briefly but will face a detailed interview as a witness once he has regained his health at the Queen Victoria Hospital in East Grinstead, West Sussex.

The horrific collision happened 30 miles from the men's homes in Brighton between junctions 8 and 9, Reigate and Leatherhead in Surrey, at 2.15am on Monday.

The impact killed Andrew Graney, 29, Jonathan Chandler, 26, and doctors Matthew O'Donnell, 30, and Christopher Janaway, 28. The identity of the fifth member, Rohan Chadwick, 27, was confirmed on Wednesday. A promising musician, his MySpace website features a number of songs variously written and performed by him. The crash also claimed the life of the recovery driver, who has not yet been identified.

A Surrey Police spokeswoman said that a number of witnesses have already been questioned but she appealed to others to come forward.

In an emotional tribute on Tuesday to his "five beautiful friends", groom-to-be James Forrer said they had shared a "terrific weekend's celebration... filled with laughter" in Leicestershire. It has yet to be decided whether he and his fiancee will postpone their wedding.

The police spokeswoman said: "The survivor from the stag party is still in hospital. We have already spoken to him briefly but when he is fit and well, we will interview him again in more detail as a witness."

Formal identification of the 46-year-old recovery driver, from Rugby, is expected to take place on Thursday, she added. The driver of the HGV was uninjured. He is being treated as a witness and has been helping police with their inquiries.

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