The crash, which involved a white Mercedes lorry, a black Nissan Qashqai, and a white Scania articulated lorry, happened on the London-bound carriageway between junctions 9 and 8 at 8.27am on Tuesday, November 25.
Kent Police today (November 27) named the victim as 36-year-old Arran McManus.
The partner of Arran, Ashleigh Devlin, has issued a tribute on behalf of the family.
They said: “I am heartbroken to share that on Tuesday morning, Arran, my partner, my soulmate, and best friend was sadly taken too soon from us.
“Arran was our whole life and more.
“He was the most wonderful dad to our two incredible children, and he was so proud of them both and loved them both so deeply.
“Arran will be sorely missed by his entire family circle.
“He was a pillar of our local community football club Kennington, as a Coach and a member of the Executive team where he brought joy to so many.”
The driver of the Mercedes lorry was airlifted to a London hospital with serious injuries.
Officers from Kent Police’s Serious Collision Investigation Unit are conducting inquiries and have appealed for witnesses.
They want to hear from anyone who saw the collision or the vehicles prior to the incident.
Anyone with information is asked to call 01622 798538 or email sciu.td@kent.police.uk, quoting reference EW/JG/080/25.
