 The accidents happened opposite each other at junction 18 of the M4 |
The M4 was partially closed for several hours on Saturday after two accidents on the motorway near Bath. Police say the second crash was caused by a driver looking at the scene of the first crash which left one person dead.
Both the east and westbound carriageways were closed after the two accidents, half an hour apart, at junction 18 near the Wiltshire border.
The westbound carriageway was opened several hours later but the eastbound remained shut well into the night.
Both carriageways were open by 0750 GMT on Sunday morning, said AA Roadwatch.
People trapped
The first accident, involving two cars and a lorry, happened on the eastbound carriageway at 1437 GMT, and left one person dead.
A team of firefighters cut a survivor and the dead victim out of the wreckage.
Half an hour later, at 1508 GMT two cars crashed on the westbound road only yards away from the first incident, leaving one person with serious injuries.
Firefighters cut six people free from the wreckage.
A spokesman for Wiltshire Fire and Rescue said the second crash was "caused by someone looking at the first one".
Heavy rain is thought to have caused poor visibility in the area at the time.
The accidents caused huge tailbacks, and police urged frustrated motorists caught up in the eastbound gridlock to stay in their cars.
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