Mother heard 'shouting for help' after roof ripped off when double-decker bus ploughed into low bridge

Daily Mail​

6 days ago

A mother living on the road where a bus collided with a low bridge, injuring 20 people, heard victims 'shouting for help' moments after the horrific crash.
The woman, who asked not be named, raced to the scene of devastation to help terrified passengers when a Stagecoach bus collided with the Bridgewater Canal Aqueduct in Salford on Monday.
Three people - a 19-year-old female, and two men, one is his 20s and another in his 40s - were left seriously injured by the shocking crash, while a further 17 people were treated at the scene for non-life threatening or non-life changing injuries.
The resident, who has lived on the street since 2016, said she saw people on the bus bleeding, with some having sustained head injuries.
One woman was also lying on the road after being flung from the top deck. The resident helped place her into the recovery position before ambulance crews arrived.
The mother-of-three claims to have seen at least 10 other large vehicles crash into the bridge - including three buses, bin lorries and a cement truck - and called for urgent action to prevent further tragedies.
Greater Manchester Police have since arrested the driver of the bus, a man in his 50s, on suspicion of causing serious injury by careless driving.
He has been bailed pending further investigations.
The woman recorded harrowing footage of the crash on her Ring doorbell, which shows the roof of the No.100 service being torn straight off as it attempted to pass under the bridge which stands at just 11ft 6 inches.
Distressed drivers were seen quickly slamming the brakes, as the large yellow bus left a trail of scattered glass and debris in its wake.
Seconds after the collision, witnesses and locals were seen running out of their houses and up the street in an attempt to catch up with the bus.
She said: 'I ran over to help, shouting for people to come and help - you could see people with head injuries, blood. People were helping somebody on the top of the bus.
'We just ran out and did what we could, really. My first concern was the casualty lying on the floor who'd come off the back of the bus. God, she was only young. Putting her in the recovery position.
'Paramedics were there pretty quick, and then just helping other casualties, getting them sat down.
'From the last bus hitting [in 2023], they've not replaced the wooden beam, which is another safety measure. I know there's chains, they have an arch with chains.
'Vehicles are forever reversing up the road, they think they can get under the bridge and then they realise once they get to the bridge.
'I think this is about the tenth vehicle that we've dealt with that's hit the bridge, and nothing seems to have improved.'
The frustrated mother says she's repeatedly reported crashes to police and the Bridgewater Canal's owner, Peel L&P, but says nothing seems to have changed.
The bridge has become somewhat of an accident hotspot in recent times, with separate instances in June 2020 and December 2023 seeing the roofs of two double deckers severely damaged as drivers smashed into it.
The site of the crash is just 100 metres from the Barton Swing Aqueduct, the first and only swing aqueduct in the world.
The resident said she thinks not enough is being done to protect them from damage.
She added: 'It's just not looked after, from the bridge point of view, the road users' point of view - it's been an accident waiting to happen.
'All the professionals come out to look at it, and nothing seems to get - they put the signs up but then a bus hits it on the other side and they don't put the beam and sign back up again, and then this happens again.'
Another local added: 'I was shocked but not surprised as this is the third time this has happened. Another bus and a lorry have done it. You feel for the people on the bus.'
Pictures from the scene show the crumpled top deck roof of the purple bus after it collided with a low bridge today
A spokesperson for Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) yesterday confirmed a formal investigation had been launched into why the bus was 'off route'.
The bus typically departs from Shudehill and travels to Salford, Trafford Centre and Warrington, but TfGM said it was 'not on its usual route at the time of the collision'.
A Greater Manchester Police spokesperson said it was for local authorities to deal with maintenance, repairs, and inspections of roads.
Peel, Salford Council and Transport for Greater Manchester were contacted for comment.
A second bus has since crashed into another low bridge in the Manchester area this morning - although there have been no reported casualties involved.
The vehicle, a Metroline Manchester driver training bus, collided with the bridge on Ten Acres Lane in Newton Heath at some point before 8.30am.