Another Coach Crash

[Jeremy]

There was a bad coach crash here overnight, involving a double-decker National Express bus (National Express is our version of Greyhound or Trailways). The bus turned over on the motorway around midnight - they aren't sure yet whether there was another vehicle involved in the aciident.  There were 69 people on board, two of whom are dead and several others who have serious head injuries or had to have limbs amputated to get them out of the wreakage.

There is a video news report here:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/media/avdb/news/video/72000/bb/72474_16x9_bb.asx

If that link doesn't work, go to the page below and click the link towards the bottom of the page:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/

Jeremy

[Jeremy]

Just as an update on this - apparently National Express have tonight withdrawn all their Neoplan Skyliners from service with immediate effect over 'stability concerns'. According to the initial report I heard on the BBC, they were stopping the buses mid-jouney and transfering passengers to over vehicles; although they are stressing that it is only 'precautionary' it is natural to assume that they have found a mechanical failure of some kind on the bus that crashed.

Evidentally there were no other vehicles involved in the accident, and the driver has been arrested on suspicion of dangerous driving, so it's equally possible that it will turn out to be human error.

Jeremy

[Jeremy]

Neoplan have announced that all the National Express Skyliners that were withdrawn from service yesterday have checked out ok, and are ready to go back out on the road - but now National Express say they are going to carry out their own checks, and another British operator called Stagecoach have withdrawn 50 of their Skyliners from service. Apparently a Skyliner crashed in France in 2003 and killed 28 people.

The injuries caused during the London crash are quite horrific - and they have been showing a very frightening computer simulation on TV here of what happens to unseatbelted passengers when a double-deck coach falls over.

Jeremy



Two killed, dozens hurt in motorway coach crash

A mother and her two young children are all believed to have lost limbs in a horrific crash after a National Express coach overturned near Heathrow, killing two passengers.
Rescue workers said the woman, her seven-month-old daughter and three-year-old son lost arms or legs in the wreckage of the double-decker which went out of control on a sliproad linking the M4 to the M25.

The 40-year-old driver of the coach, which was travelling from Victoria coach station in London to Aberdeen via Heathrow, has been arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving. Some witnesses said the coach had been running late after a delay at Heathrow airport and was travelling at high speed in wet conditions.

The impact of the crash caused many passengers to be dragged along the motorway, and several others also had arms or legs severed in the force of the crash or suffered head or spinal injuries. Investigators will be looking into how many of the passengers were wearing seat belts, which have been compulsory for passengers over the age of 14 since last September. It is thought that many on the coach were not strapped in.
All 69 passengers and drivers were taken to hospital after the crash late on Wednesday evening. Last night at least seven people remained in a serious or critical condition, including a 14-year-old boy.

One of those who died was named last night as 76-year-old Christine Toner, who was travelling with her husband Jim Toner, a former footballer with Dundee and Leeds United. He was badly injured in the crash. Neighbours said they had been travelling home to Dundee after visiting relatives over the holiday period. The other victim was a man in his 20s, as yet unidentified.

[buswarrior]

Thank you for the news report Jeremy.

Our regional transit company here in Toronto Ontario is considering purchasing double deckers.
There are a number of their routes on which their capacity would be advantageous and there is adequate clearance for their height.

I will pass on the links to their Safety people for their consideration.

happy coaching!
buswarrior