Three Children Seriously Injured After Bus Crashes Into Railway Bridge

Three children are seriously injured and a dozen more have suffered minor injuries after a bus crashed into a railway bridge in Winchester, UK.

The roof of the double-decker was torn off on impact with the bridge on Wellhouse Lane while transporting students to Henry Beaufort School at around 8.10am this morning (Thursday 10 September).

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The 15 injured children were taken to hospital and bus operator Stagecoach South said an investigation had been launched. No arrests were made.

Police said no injuries sustained in the crash were believed to be life-threatening, and a further 57 children - aged between 11 to 16 - and the driver were unhurt.

Inspector Andy Tester, of Hampshire Police's roads policing unit, said: "When officers and other emergency services arrived they found a number of people coming out of the bus and it was clear the bus had collided with the bridge.

"So we have got everyone off the bridge and assessed all of their injuries. The children were very, very distressed, they had obviously been in a very traumatic incident. A number of them were injured, it was a very difficult scene to deal with.

"Officers, firefighters and ambulance staff did really well to take control of the incident and made sure we assessed everyone's injuries and secured the scene."

Poppy, 11, was on the top deck of the bus and was struck in the head by a pole.

According to the BBC, she said: "There was blood everywhere - everyone was in a rush to get down, but we were all trying to help each other."

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Jake Coates, 14, said the bus was being driven by a new driver and it had taken a short-cut because it was running late.

According to Sky News, he said: "When it went through the bridge, there was this massive bang and you could smell the friction, the smoke, and all the windows smashed, and glass came in and people had glass on them, and cuts.

"Everyone was panicked, shaking, shocked... it was quite scary. I didn't know if anyone was still inside the bus, trapped.

"A lot of people were screaming, they were shouting like they were going to die, a lot of dust came through as if the bridge was going to collapse.

"When we got out of the bus, I could see people jumping out of the back windows and workers from nearby were catching people."

A spokesperson for Stagecoach South said: "Our thoughts are with the children and their families.

"We are carrying out an internal investigation into the circumstances involved in the incident and we will continue to provide the emergency services with our full support."

Topics: UK News

Jake Massey

Jake Massey is a journalist at LADbible. He graduated from Newcastle University, where he learnt a bit about media and a lot about living without heating. After spending a few years in Australia and New Zealand, Jake secured a role at an obscure radio station in Norwich, inadvertently becoming a real-life Alan Partridge in the process. From there, Jake became a reporter at the Eastern Daily Press. Jake enjoys playing football, listening to music and writing about himself in the third person.

@jakesmassey