Bus driver charged over crash
A bus driver has been charged after the crash which saw a double-decker hit a bridge at Edinburgh’s Western General hospital.
Six people were injured and the vehicle’s roof was ripped off in the accident on Sunday.
Police said the 21-year-old driver has been charged with dangerous driving and a report will be submitted to the procurator fiscal.
Passengers on board the bus have told how they feared a bomb had gone off when the bus hit the overhead walkway.
A bus driver has been charged after a double-decker crashed into a bridge at Edinburgh’s Western General Hospital, injuring six passengers.
Emergency services were called to the hospital at 3:25pm on Sunday.
The vehicle’s roof appeared to have been ripped off after colliding with an over- head walkway. Police Scotland said six of the seven passengers, aged between 14 and 60, were taken to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary with a number of injuries – none of which were lifethreatening.
The 21-year-old driver has been charged with dangerous driving and a report will be submitted to the procurator fiscal.
Officers reopened the road at about 8:45pm after investigations were carried out and the vehicle was recovered.
One passenger, Colin Main, of Gilmerton in Edinburgh, was a passenger on the bottom deck and came away with cuts to his hands.
The 34-year-old said he felt “lucky” not to have suffered more serious injuries.
He said: “At first I thought it was a bomb because I thought it was a big explosion but when I got off the bus I realised he had hit the bridge.
“As soon a si got off the bu si was in shock, my hands were numb.”
John Kennedy, 47, who was visiting a relative in the hospital’s cancer ward at the time, described hearing a “really loud bang”, adding: “There was glass everywhere – all over the road.
“The first row of seats on the bus were all pushed back and smashed up. It was a bit of a shock.”
A police spokesman said the investigation was continuing.
“Enquiries continue and anyone who may have witnessed this and has not yet spoken to officers is urged to contact Edinburgh’s Road Policing Unit via 101, quoting incident number 2477 of September 17.”
A spokesman for East Coast Buses said they were co-operating fully with the police.