Western Daily Press (Saturday)
Bus roof is sheared off after crash with bridge
ABUS ended up being converted to an open-top double decker after losing an argument with a low railway bridge in Bristol yesterday.
Emergency services were called to Hatchet Lane in Stoke Gifford, close to Bristol Parkway station after the crash, which saw a bright yellow double decker hitting the railway bridge.
The bus hit the bridge with such force that the roof of the bus was sheared clean off, and the bus continued on for a few more yards before coming to a stop.
Miraculously, no one was injured in the incident.
There were no passengers on board the bus at the time, and the driver was unhurt but shocked.
A spokesperson for Avon Fire and Rescue said they, police and ambulance were called to the scene at around 3.25pm yesterday to reports of a bus crashing into the railway bridge.
One crew from Patchway attended the scene, and made the area and the bus safe from any fuel leaks.
An initial inspection of any impact damage to the bridge revealed the bridge came through the experience unscathed – a huge steel barrier at the entrance to the bridge took the full force of the bus’s roof, and protected the bridge as it is meant to do.
Network Rail’s own inspectors also attended to double check the track above and the structure of the bridge.
The fire brigade closed the road and later handed over control of the scene to the police, who maintained the road closure while the bus and its now separate roof were retrieved and cleared.