Latest news with #BartonPeveril
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
College bus river crash investigation continues
An investigation is continuing after a double-decker bus carrying college students plunged into a river. The bus was seen swerving through oncoming traffic and ploughed through railings on the wrong side of Bishopstoke Road in Eastleigh, Hampshire, at about 10:00 BST on Thursday. Work to remove the bus, seen severely damaged to the front, was carried out overnight with the bus lifted onto the road in the early hours. The bus has been towed away and the road is fully open. The driver and one of 19 Barton Peveril Sixth Form College students on board were seriously injured. A witness said the driver reported that his brakes and accelerator failed at the same time. Kelly West, who was one of the first on the scene, said: "It does appear that what he was saying was that the brakes didn't work and the accelerator was jammed because it was horrifically fast, it was speeding massively." The Bluestar bus crashed into a lamp-post, shattering a windscreen, before leaving the road, according to student Freddie Sampson, who was on the top deck. The 18-year-old said: "It was like we couldn't stop and had to weave through traffic trying not to hit any cars and then the bus driver lost control - we went flying into the river." Five people, including the bus driver who was initially trapped, were taken to hospital for treatment, police said. The B3037 Bishopstoke Road was closed in both directions while police gathered evidence. You can follow BBC Hampshire & Isle of Wight on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram. Two seriously injured as bus 'careers into river' Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary
BBC News
3 hours ago
- BBC News
Eastleigh college bus river crash investigation continues
An investigation is continuing after a double-decker bus carrying college students plunged into a river. The bus was seen swerving through oncoming traffic and ploughed through railings on the wrong side of Bishopstoke Road in Eastleigh, Hampshire, at about 10:00 BST on Thursday. The driver and one of 19 Barton Peveril Sixth Form College students on board were seriously injured.A witness said the driver reported that his brakes and accelerator failed at the same time. Kelly West, who was one of the first on the scene, said: "It does appear that what he was saying was that the brakes didn't work and the accelerator was jammed because it was horrifically fast, it was speeding massively."The Bluestar bus crashed into a lamp-post, shattering a windscreen, before leaving the road, according to student Freddie Sampson, who was on the top 18-year-old said: "It was like we couldn't stop and had to weave through traffic trying not to hit any cars and then the bus driver lost control - we went flying into the river."Five people, including the bus driver who was initially trapped, were taken to hospital for treatment, police B3037 Bishopstoke Road was closed in both directions while police gathered evidence. You can follow BBC Hampshire & Isle of Wight on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
Asharq Al-Awsat
9 hours ago
- Automotive
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Double-Decker Bus Carrying Students Plunges into River in England in ‘Terrifying' Crash
A double-decker bus carrying high school students plunged into a river in southern England on Thursday, sending the driver and four teens to the hospital and leaving more than a dozen others with minor injuries, officials said. The bus was bound for Barton Peveril Sixth Form College, a school for 16- to 18-year-olds, when it sped off a road in Eastleigh and plunged into the River Itchen. The cause of the wreck was being investigated by police and the bus company. Police said there was no indication why the bus veered off the road. But a woman who lives nearby and heard a screeching sound and saw the bus crash through roadside barriers into the water said the driver told her he couldn't stop. Kelly West, who helped some of the students to safety, said the bus was going close to 60 mph (nearly 100 kph) and said it was like a scene out of "Speed," the Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock film about a bus barreling through Los Angeles. "One of the young adults said the bus was just getting faster and faster as it came down the road and they didn't know what he was going to do," West said. "I can well imagine they were all thinking they were going to die, quite frankly." Inspector Andy Tester of the Hampshire Constabulary said it "must have been terrifying." All 19 passengers on board were either able to get off the bus or were rescued, police said. The bus driver, who was trapped, and one student had serious injuries but were expected to survive. West said the driver was alert and sharp, but panicking. She reassured him that help was on the way. "He said the brakes failed and the accelerator was jammed and that he was trying to avoid cars," West said. The bus was sitting upright in the river, next to a bridge, water up to its axles. Its front windows were smashed and mud was splattered on its side. A large section of bridge railing was missing. About 14 students were treated at the scene by paramedics, the South Central Ambulance Service said. Two helicopters, five ambulances and fire crews responded to the crash. Bluestar Bus said it did not immediately know the circumstances of the crash.
The Independent
14 hours ago
- The Independent
Five taken to hospital after bus crashes into river in ‘scene like movie Speed'
A college bus which crashed off a road into a river 'like a scene out of the movie Speed' had suffered 'brake failure and a jammed accelerator', according to one of the first witnesses to reach the scene. Police have praised the bravery of members of the public and emergency services who helped rescue some of the students and the driver who were trapped on board the Bluestar bus following the accident in Bishopstoke Road, Eastleigh, Hampshire. Emergency services were alerted following the crash just before 10am on Thursday, with 20 people including the driver on board and five people being taken to hospital. The passengers were all students on their way to Barton Peveril Sixth Form College, according to Hampshire Constabulary. A force spokesman confirmed two people – the driver and a passenger – had suffered serious injuries but their injuries were not 'life-threatening'. Eyewitness Kelly West, who lives nearby, said the driver had told her the bus had suffered mechanical failure prior to the crash. She said: 'I heard some noise, I looked out of the window and he just came careening into the river. 'It felt like he was doing about 60 miles an hour, it felt very fast and obviously he just went straight through the barriers and into the river.' Ms West said she rushed to the scene and could hear people shouting, and she found the driver who she said was trapped and 'panicking'. She said: 'I told him to stop panicking, help was on its way and he said the brakes failed and the accelerator was jammed and that he was trying to avoid cars.' Ms West said the students were 'shocked' and concerned for the driver. She said some of them were stuck on the bus because a person had been injured on the stairs and she believed one of the students had suffered a broken arm. She said: 'We got about 10 of them off of the bus and into the garden and just got them drinks and got them sat down. 'They were really shocked, bless them, really, wanting their parents, obviously, then the parents started to arrive.' She added: ' One of the young adults said the bus was just getting faster and faster as it came down the road and they didn't know what he was going to do. 'So I can well imagine they were all thinking they were going to die, quite frankly. It was a bit like Speed, the Sandra Bullock film, it felt like that, to be honest.' Ms West said one of the students told her the bus had started to take a different route which she believed was because it could not be slowed down enough to take a turn. She said: 'I'm guessing because he knew that there was a problem, he decided to carry on down the main road because he'd have ended up in a house otherwise. 'I spoke to him. He was completely compos mentis and, unless he had had a black-out and came round, he was very with it and he was very concerned as to what was happening. 'It does appear that what he was saying was that the brakes didn't work and the accelerator was jammed because it was horrifically fast, it was speeding massively. 'We get heavy traffic along this road all the time and it bounces and it makes a house rumble, but this was just on another level.' Barton Peveril student Freddie Sampson described the 'manic' scene on board the bus as the driver 'lost control'. He told the BBC: 'We ran into a lamppost and the whole windscreen shattered. 'It was like we couldn't stop and had to weave through traffic trying not to hit any cars and then the bus driver lost control – we went flying into the river. 'It was all a bit manic. No-one really knew what was going on. I looked out the front to see people moving out of the way, like cars out the front… I looked round… they were all confused and scared.' Inspector Andy Tester, of Hampshire Constabulary, said: 'It must have been terrifying and my thoughts are very much with the children and the driver on the bus, who must have had a terrifying experience.' He said several people including the driver were trapped on board when emergency services arrived. He said: 'There was a lot of bravery shown by many people who were first on scene, who didn't have training to work in water and weren't equipped, but quickly backed up by our fire and ambulance colleagues who did have the right training to make it safe and make it a safe working environment.' Mr Tester added that it will be a 'complex' operation to remove the bus, which has suffered severe damage to the front and ended up in the water below the level of the road. A South Central Ambulance Service spokesman said it scrambled five ambulances, two helicopters, and specialist response units to the scene, while Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service sent crews from Eastleigh, St Mary's, Redbridge, Hightown and Portchester. Richard Tyldsley, Bluestar general manager, said: 'Our thoughts are with everybody involved, and we wish those who were injured a full and speedy recovery. 'At this time, we do not know the circumstances behind this incident and are carrying out an immediate investigation. We are also assisting the police as they carry out their own inquiries.' In a video of the incident, a student on board the bus can be heard saying: 'Oh my god, we are going to die, we're actually going to die' before screaming can be heard and the footage ends.
Washington Post
14 hours ago
- Washington Post
Double-decker bus carrying students plunges into river in England in 'terrifying' crash
LONDON — A double-decker bus carrying high school students plunged into a river in southern England on Thursday, sending the driver and four teens to the hospital and leaving more than a dozen others with minor injures, officials said. The bus was bound for Barton Peveril Sixth Form College, a school for 16- to 18-year-olds, when it went off a road in Eastleigh and plunged into the River Itchen. The cause of the crash was being investigated by police and the bus company. 'It must have been terrifying,' said Inspector Andy Tester of the Hampshire Constabulary. All 19 passengers on board were either able to get off the bus or were rescued, police said. The bus driver and one student had serious injuries but were expected to survive. Police said there was no indication as to why the bus veered off the road. But a woman who said she heard a screeching sound and saw the crash said the driver told her he couldn't stop. 'I heard some noise, I looked out of the window and he just came careening into the river,' Kelly West said. 'It felt very fast and obviously he just went straight through the barriers and into the river.' West rushed to the scene and found the driver trapped and panicking. She reassured him that help was on the way. 'He said the brakes failed and the accelerator was jammed and that he was trying to avoid cars,' West said. The bus was sitting upright in the river, next to a bridge, water up to its axels. Its front windows were smashed and mud was splattered on its side. A large section of bridge railing was missing. West said she helped some of the shaken students get off the bus and to her garden. About 14 students were treated at the scene by paramedics, the South Central Ambulance Service said. Two helicopters, five ambulances and fire crews responded to the crash. The Bluestar Bus said it did not immediately know the circumstances of the crash.
