16 pupils hurt after school bus smashes into bridge
A SCHOOL bus driver ploughed a double-decker into a railway bridge yesterday, ripping off its roof and leaving 16 children injured.
Around 70 pupils aged between 11 and 16 from Henry Beaufort School, in Harestock, Winchester, were on the bus when it crashed at around 8am.
Many had shouted at the driver as he veered off the usual route, warning him that he was going the wrong way.
They screamed as the bus careered into the bridge, sending glass flying.
Three children suffered serious but not life-threatening injuries. A further 13 were treated at the scene on Wellhouse Lane, Winchester.
Locals suggested that the driver was new to the job, but a source at operator Stagecoach South insisted that he was “experienced”. The driver was later questioned by Hampshire Police but was not detained.
Robert, a 15-year-old Year 11 student, said: “Once we got out the bus and looked back at the tunnel, a lot of people [realised] what had happened and they could see people lying down with really bad injuries. That’s when a lot of people started to break down.”
Zoe Kierans told the BBC: “We suddenly hit the top of the tunnel. Everything fell in on the top. There was glass everywhere and everyone screaming.”
Councillors will launch an investigation into the visibility of a sign warning that the bridge is 12ft high, which is partly covered by overgrown tree branches. Stagecoach South said it was also investigating.