Two men had to be rescued from a car which collided with a lorry on the A52, causing a three-mile traffic jam and delays across south Notts.
The accident happened at around 6.30am on Wednesday on the eastbound side of the road at the RSPCA junction at Radcliffe on Trent, east of Nottingham.
It involved a car and lorry carrying a load of wooden pallets. Police, two ambulances and a fire crew from London Road Fire Station attended to rescue the men in the car.
Officers closed the east bound side of the route while both vehicles were recovered, diverting traffic at the Stragglethorpe Road junction towards Stragglethorpe and the A46.
Queues more than three miles long built up after the crash, stretching into Gamston and Lady Bay.
Both men were taken to hospital with injuries not thought to be life threatening.
Video: Queues up to the diversion stretched back into Nottingham.
A minor crash at the A52 Saxondale Roundabout shortly afterwards worsened the delays, and a broken down vehicle in the queue on the east bound side close to the Gamston Lock pub also added to the jam.
Trent Barton bus company reported heavy delays and missed stops, tweeting: “The accident on the A52 seems to be a little worse than originally thought. We are seeing delays to the cotgrave as well, and we are now having to miss the following stops on #mainline: RSPCA, Yew Tree Close, The Green and Vicarage Lane.”
The road re-opened at around 9.30am.