Police have warned motorists not to treat the hard shoulder of the motorways as footpaths after a woman got out of her car to walk her dog while stuck in a queue on the M25.
Traffic was delayed between the A12 and M11 junctions while emergency services worked to treat the driver of a black Citroen car which spun and hit the central reservation shortly before noon on Saturday.
Witnesses alerted police after seeing the woman walking her dog at the side of the carriageway.
Chigwell road policing unit inspector Richard Phillibrown said:
"People don't think it's a dangerous place, but it must be one of the most dangerous things you can do.
It's just so dangerous, even to be in a car on the hard shoulder - the number of accidents we see where a vehicle ploughs straight through something parked at the side of the motorway. We've lost officers that way. People must be aware."
Police have warned motorists not to treat the hard shoulder of the motorways as footpaths after a woman got out of her car to walk her dog while stuck in a queue on the M25.