Bus smash left gaping hole in block of flats
Residents of Hamilton Court in Paisley where a bus smashed into flats on Wednesday have been assured that the building is safe after a hole had been punched through it.
The impact of the crash – which led to five people, including the driver, being hospitalised – has left the high flats with a sizeable gap in the brickwork and scuffing to a supporting section.
Renfrewshire Council say that the hole does not pose a risk to those living in the building, adding that inspections carried out in the immediate aftermath of the incident revealed that the structural integrity of the building was intact and so there was no need for any evacuations.
Peter Campbell, who lives on the 15th floor of the building between Calside and Stock Street, told the Express that he was not surprised to see the gaping hole in the building given the dramatic shaking the building did when it was hit
Speaking yesterday morning, he said: “The bus was taken away about 8pm last night.
“There’s a company clearing up the mess of it, but there’s a bloody great big hole in the building.
“It’s the main support for the building and it looks quite damaged, there’s been surveyors this morning having a look at it.
“Hopefully it’s not too serious. If it was, we’d have been asked to leave by now I would have thought.
“I’m up all the way on the 15th floor and still our whole living room shook because of the impact and the sound, the bang, was absolutely horrendous, it was really bad.
“Everybody in the building is just of the same opinion, this is six times something like this has happened and we’re worried it will happen again.
“We’ve asked repeatedly for something to be done.”
On Wednesday afternoon around 12.20pm, what is understood to be the number 10 bus run by McGill’s shot across Calside and into the foot of Hamilton Court with a number of passengers on board.
Emergency services rushed to the area and a section of Calside, as well as surrounding streets, was sealed off while firefighters and paramedics evacuated and tended to passengers.
Three people were taken to the Royal Alexandra Hospital and two were taken to the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow.
A Renfrewshire Council spokesperson said: “We were alerted to the incident at Hamilton Court in Paisley on Wednesday afternoon.
“Our teams attended the scene to provide support to the emergency services and to check the building.
“Following an inspection by a structural engineer it was determined there was no requirement to evacuate the building.
“Our teams carried out further structural inspections on Thursday afternoon and arrangements are now being made to repair the damage caused by the accident.
“All building services including power, fire alarms, heating systems and water supply are operating as normal.
“Our team will be available to provide support and respond to any questions or concerns residents may have.”
Any residents with concerns can contact the council with any questions they have on 0300 300 0222.
Our whole living room shook because of the impact and the sound. The bang was horrendous