AN AMERICAN visitor died when the car he was driving veered off the M5 at Almondsbury and crashed on to three vehicles queuing on an exit slip road.

Mystery still surrounds the horror smash on Monday evening when a Ford Focus driven by Myles Tralins, 56, from Miami, Florida, hurtled through the crash barrier on the northbound carriageway at junction 16 and plummeted down an embankment onto three cars waiting to leave the motorway at the Patchway junction traffic signals.

The car was travelling in lane three when it suddenly veered across to it nearside, went over the steel barrier and landed on the waiting cars about 10ft below.

Mr Tralins was pronounced dead at Frenchay Hospital. Firefighters, including rescue crews from Thornbury, had to cut a woman passenger free from the wreckage and also released two injured people from damaged cars on the slip road.

All three people were taken to hospital with what were described as non life threatening injuries.

The accident occurred shortly before 5pm during the rush hour and police accident investigators are still appealing for witnesses.

It is believed Mr Tralins was heading for Heathrow airport and was intending to join the M4 at the Almondsbury interchange - only a few hundred yards further up the motorway from where he apparently lost control.

Police spokesman Wayne Baker said: "It happened just at the beginning of the evening rush hour and many people must have seen what happened. Information can be phoned through to Crimestoppers on 0800 555111. "

The rescue and recovery operation forced police to close the northbound carriageway at junction 18, Avonmouth and divert traffic onto the M49. Tailbacks stretched for six miles and there was serious congestion in the area until the carriageway re-opened at around 7.30pm.