Lorry driver involved in bus crash dies in hospital
THE driver of a lorry that crashed into the rear of a stationary bus carrying a party of fruit-pickers on the M5 has died in hospital.
West Midlands Police said the 65-year-old haulier, from Somerset, passed away shortly after 9pm on Saturday night at a Birmingham hospital following the accident, which left one bus passenger dead and another critically ill.
The driver of the bus, which was reported to have broken down amid thick fog in a “live” lane of the M5 near Frankley Services, was arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving and has been released on police bail.
The lorry driver was en route from Manchester to Devon when his Volvo vehicle struck the single-decker bus near to junction three of the M5 at Halesowen.
The driver, whose family had travelled from the south-west to be with him in hospital, has yet to be named by police.
The Central Motorway Police Group was alerted to the crash at 6.24am on Saturday and emergency crews treated more than 20 bus passengers, who were being driven from Birmingham to the Evesham area of Worcestershire.
A 35-year-old man from the Smethwick area who had been travelling on the bus was confirmed dead at the scene and another passenger remained in a critical condition.
Inspector John Thompson, from the Central Motorway Police Group, said: “This tragic incident has now claimed its second life.
“Our thoughts remain with the friends and family of those who have died during this difficult time.”
The bus was reported to have broken down.