A metal object crushes the couple’s caravan on the M42

A driver was left screaming in agony after a metal missile flew through the window of his caravan, breaking his arm in six places.

Chris and Rachel Benn were returning from a holiday in Dorset with their dog when a padlock smashed through their windscreen and impaled Mr Benn’s arm.

The Leeds duo, who are appealing for dashcam footage, were driving along the M42 northbound between junctions 9 and 10 in Warwickshire at around 2.30pm BST on Friday 21 June.

Speaking about the lock that flew into the car, Ms Benn said: “It’s so hard, if it had hit his face I would have had a body next to me. I can’t bear to think about it.”

The object crashed into the car minutes after the couple’s caravan joined the M42.

Mrs Benn had been reading her Kindle when she was suddenly aware of an “almighty lump”, before hearing her husband say: “My arm is gone”.

He looked at Mr. Benn and saw his arm “dangling.”

Mr Benn said: “I heard a hiss and saw something so I pulled my head to the side and there was a massive crash.

“The next thing I knew, everything started going really slow.

“I knew I had to get to the hard shoulder. I knew something hurt me, but I didn’t know what.”

Ms Benn added: “Somehow he got to the hard shoulder and when the adrenaline wore off he started screaming in agony.”

The couple did not discover what caused the injury until Mrs Benn climbed into the back of the caravan to get paracetamol for her husband.

Under their oil-covered bed was a truck lock, which is used to prevent people from stealing the vehicle’s contents when the trailer is unattended.

“I had to use two hands to lift it, it was so heavy,” Ms Benn said.

“He was lying under the bed covered in oil and Chris had oil on his shirt so I knew that was what caused it.”

Mr Benn was rushed to hospital and received several blood transfusions, but doctors believe the refrigeration and air conditioning engineer could be out of work for a year and may not still use the arm.

“Physically, I’m in massive pain. Mentally I’m not doing so well,” Mr Benn said.

“It’s hard to accept. I just think “What if? So what? So what?””

The two believe a truck driver forgot to put the lock back in the cab, causing it to fly off the vehicle while driving on the highway.

“We want dash cam footage so we can try to identify where it came from. Someone needs to be held accountable,” Ms Benn said.

“This could have killed someone, it was a very close call. Since it happened, all we’ve done is speculate.

“We wonder if they knew, if it’s a regular occurrence, does it happen all the time? It just drives us a little crazy.

“Please, please, please keep (these locks) safe. It could have been fatal. It was a miracle it wasn’t.”

A Warwickshire Police spokesman said: “We are investigating an incident where an object went through the window of a caravan, causing serious injuries to the driver’s shoulder.

“The driver, a man in his 50s, went to hospital with his injuries. The incident was reported to police at 14:50 BST on June 21.”