Update:
10.55pm – The route was fully reopened at around 10.30pm.
Earlier: A section of the M18 motorway was closed for a time this evening following a multi-vehicle collision.
The collision occurred at around 8.00pm in the northbound lanes of the M18 between junctions 9 and 10 at Lemenaghbeg, Newmarket on Fergus.
Initial reports to the emergency services suggested that as many as five vehicles had been involved and that one car had overturned.
Six units of Clare County Fire and Rescue Service from Shannon and Ennis stations responded to the incident along with a number of ambulances an advanced paramedic and garda patrols.
On arrival, emergency crews discovered that three cars had been involved and that one vehicle was on its roof. Debris from the collision was also spread over a wide area.
National Ambulance Service paramedics assessed all those involved and found that no one had been seriously injured. It’s understood that one person was taken to University Hospital Limerick as a precaution for further assessment.
While traffic was later diverted away from the area at junction 9, motorists who got caught up behind the collision remained stuck for about 40 minutes before one lane of the motorway was reopened.
Fire crews and gardaí implemented an emergency traffic management system to allow vehicles slowly pass the scene while a recovery truck was brought in to remove the vehicles.
Gardaí are investigating the cause of the collision.