Bus crashes into house

A BUS driver and a family had a miracle escape after a double decker hurtled into a Keresley home.

Despite the bus ending up embedded in the corner of the semi-detached property, and the front of the bus caved in, the driver was able to walk away with only minor injuries.

It also emerged that a child’s bedroom, just above where the bus hit, was empty at the time of the crash with most of the family away on holiday. The father, who was at home, escaped injury.

Three other people were injured in the crash including the driver of a Land Rover Discovery that was also hit by the double decker, and two passengers on the number 16 bus.

But they were all discharged at the scene, along with the driver, after being assessed by ambulance staff.

It appears the bus ploughed across a roundabout at the junction of Keresley Road, Norman Place Road and Wallace Road before clipping the 4x4 and ending up smashing into the s e mi- det a c hed property.

The incident occurred just before 7am and saw the bus, which was travelling northbound on Keresley, end up hitting the house on the opposite side of the road - which faces The Wallace Pub.

Fire crews were forced to work on the home for hours amid fears the

building could be at risk of collapse having shifted several inches.

Once the bus was removed, the scale of the damage to the building became apparent with a large hole in the living room wall and major cracks to the front of the house. Firefighters used metal struts and hand-cut wooden beams to secure the property. One neighbour who lives seven doors down told the Telegraph she heard the crash clearly. Kylie Jones said it sounded “like a bomb”. The 28-year-old added: “It was just like a big, massive bang. It sounded like a bomb. “I was in shock when I saw the bus inside the house.”

Victor Iwanczuk, 64, lives nearby and said most of the family had been away for the weekend.

He said: “I just heard a bang but I just put it down to the pub loading up with beer. There was such a mess out there.”

He said that the man who lives in the house, a professional gardener, had told him his wife and child or children were away and that normally the child or children would be sleeping in the front bedroom so it was lucky they hadn’t been there.

He added that the house had “moved several inches back” and “the ceilings had collapsed internally.”

A spokesman for West Midlands Ambulance service confirmed there had been no serious injuries.

He said: “On arrival, ambulance staff found a double decker bus that was up against a house; the house had sustained structural damage. A Land Rover Discovery

It was just like a big, massive bang. It sounded like a bomb. I was in shock when I saw the bus inside the house. Neighbour

was nearby with front end damage.

“There were three people on the bus. The driver, a 44-year-old man, had sustained a graze to his right knee but was otherwise unhurt.

“A 27-year-old man who had been on the rear seat had a minor laceration to his lower right leg and a man estimated to be in his 50s had a minor graze. All three were discharged after treatment at the scene.

“The driver of the Discovery, a 54-year-old man had managed to get out of the vehicle himself and was treated for shock, but again was discharged.

“Thankfully, despite the damage to the house, no-one inside had been hurt.”

National Express, which operates the bus route, told the Telegraph it was assisting emergency services with their investigations.

A spokesman said: “National Express Coventry is co-operating closely with the authorities in their investigations into this incident.”