Three children left with life changing injuries after Winchester school bus crashed into railway bridge ripping off roof – The Sun
THREE children have been left with life changing injuries after a school bus crashed into a railway bridge ripping its roof completely off.
The schoolkids were rushed to hospital and required surgery after the double-decker smashed into a bridge yesterday morning.
In total, five children were taken to hospital and another 13 were treated at the scene of the crash in Winchester, Hampshire.
Dramatic pictures from the site showed the bus wedged underneath the bridge – with the top deck completely destroyed.
KIDS INJURED
Year 11 student Robert, 15, was on the bottom deck at the front of the bus by the stairs and said fellow pupils suffered head and neck injuries.
He described how those who were seriously hurt were laid out on the road afterwards receiving treatment.
Robert, from Kings Worthy, near the site of the crash in Winchester, told BBC Radio Solent: "It's not a bridge we've ever gone under, but there are other bridges that we've been under and I initially thought we were going under one of them.
"I thought we had hit the side of the tunnel. The bus came to a very strong stop.
"I looked and there was glass down the stairs next to me, the roof of the bus had fallen down the side and there were cables hanging down.
"The lights had gone off so I looked upstairs and people started coming down but you couldn't see up there because it was dark.
"I saw people with cuts on their neck, mainly minor injuries. A lot of head or neck injuries, but there were people with worse injuries."
Robert added: "I was on my phone, I never pay attention because normally it's just a boring bus ride to school.
"I'm shaking, I'm trying to do stuff to take my mind off it. I'm still shaking.
"Some people were panicking but most people were calm because a lot of people were in shock, they didn't realise what was going on – personally neither did I.
"Then once we got out the bus and looked back at the tunnel it hit a lot of people what had happened and they could see people lying down with really bad injuries.
"That's when a lot of people started to break down."
One woman, who lives just yards from the crash scene, said she heard an "awful crunch" as the bus smashed into the bridge and rushed to help screaming children.
She said: "I heard an awful crunch and thought maybe a lorry had gone into the bridge because that's happened once before.
"But then I heard screaming, wailing, and I knew something wasn't right.
"When I went through the debris, I then saw a bus and children everywhere in a state. I walked through and just started helping."
WITNESS APPEAL
Police investigating the crash are seeking information from anyone who saw the bus on its journey to school.
They are looking to talk to the driver of a car that passed the double-decker shortly before the accident.
Hampshire Police said: "We believe the car is a blue Ford Focus, registration ending HPX, with a roof rack and cycle carrier.
"The driver may have information that could help our investigation.
"The Serious Collision Investigation Unit is also seeking information from anyone who saw the bus on its journey from Itchen Abbas through Easton and Kingsworthy."
Detective Constable Cate Paling, senior investigating officer, said: “This was a serious collision and our investigation will look to identify the exact circumstances.
“We have been working closely with the school and Hampshire County Council to provide support to the students and their parents. We thank everyone for their cooperation.
“We ask members of the public not to speculate about the incident on social media.
“If you have any information about this collision, please call 101 quoting 44200349165.”
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