Latest news with #BluestarBus
The Independent
a day 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.
The Guardian
a day ago
- The Guardian
17 injured as bus carrying students crashes into river in Hampshire
Seventeen people were injured when a double-decker bus carrying sixth-form college students crashed into a river. Three passengers were taken to hospital and 14 others were treated at the scene after the bus came to rest upright in the River Itchen. Fire crews with stretchers helped take people off the bus, which was carrying students who attend Barton Peveril Sixth Form College in Eastleigh, Hampshire. At least five ambulances were sent to the residential road where the incident happened and air ambulances were scrambled. A spokesperson for South Central ambulance service said: 'We have sent multiple units to the incident including five ambulances, two helicopters, and specialist response units. 'Three high priority patients are being taken to hospital. Around 14 with less serious injuries are being treated on scene.' A spokesperson for the college said: 'We are aware of an incident involving the college 607 bus. College staff are working closely with the police to ensure the safety and wellbeing of all students. 'We ask that people do not attend the actual scene. For concerned parents, an incident centre has been established.' Richard Tyldsley, general manager of Bluestar Bus, said: 'One of our buses, carrying students to Barton Peveril College, was involved in an incident. Reports suggest the bus left the highway and came to rest in a shallow river.' He said the bus driver was injured. Scott Agass, the father of a 17-year-old who was on the bus, said: 'I think they are all out. He said he was sitting there with a blanket and a monitor on his finger. He doesn't really know what happened or what caused it. I suppose it just happened so quick. All he saw was that it crashed and gone in the river.' A Hampshire and Isle of Wight police spokesperson said: 'We are currently dealing with an incident on Bishopstoke Road in Eastleigh, where a bus has left the carriageway into a river. 'Emergency services are in attendance and the road has been closed so please avoid the area if you can.'
Associated Press
a day ago
- Associated Press
Double-decker bus carrying students plunges into English river
LONDON (AP) — A double-decker bus carrying high school students plunged into a river in England Thursday, sending the driver and two passengers to the hospital and leaving more than a dozen others with minor injures, officials said. The bus carrying students from Barton Peveril Sixth Form College, a school for 16- to 18-year-olds, went off a road in Eastleigh, near the south coast. The cause of the crash was under investigation. 'Reports suggest the bus left the highway and came to rest in a shallow river,' said Richard Tyldsley, general manager of Bluestar Bus. 'Our driver and at least two of the passengers have confirmed injuries, and we are awaiting further updates on the status of others on-board.' All 19 passengers on board were off the bus and about 14 were treated at the scene by paramedics, a South Central Ambulance Service spokesperson said. Two helicopters, five ambulances and fire crews responded to the crash. The bus company did not immediately know the circumstances of the crash, but was investigating and cooperating with police probing the incident.
Telegraph
a day ago
- Telegraph
School double-decker bus crashes into river
Three people have been taken to hospital after a double-decker bus carrying students crashed into a river. Five ambulances and two air ambulances were deployed to the scene in Eastleigh, Hampshire on Thursday morning. The bus, carrying students from Barton Peveril Sixth Form College, veered off the road and crashed through railings into the water below. Pictures show the vehicle still standing upright, with the bottom of the bus submerged in the River Itchen. Fourteen other passengers are being treated at the scene, South Central Ambulance Service said. The bus company involved, Bluestar Bus, has said that the driver is among those injured, and that there were 19 passengers on board at the time. Scott Agass, a father of a 17-year-old on board, said: '[My son] doesn't really know what happened or what caused it. I suppose it just happened so quick. All he saw was that it crashed and gone in the river.' Jonathan Holdstock, a resident, said: 'It was half 10 when I heard a bunch of sirens. When I heard it was a bus in the river, I didn't believe it.' A spokesman for South Central Ambulance Service said: 'We're continuing to support and assess patients on scene. All patients have been removed from the bus. 'Three high-priority patients are being taken to hospital. Around 14 with less serious injuries are being treated on scene.' A spokesman from Barton Peveril Sixth Form College said: 'We are aware of an incident involving the College 607 Bus. 'College staff are working closely with the police to ensure the safety and well-being of all students.' Richard Tyldsley, its general manager, said: 'One of our buses, carrying students to Barton Peveril College, was involved in an incident earlier this morning in Bishopstoke Road, Eastleigh. 'Reports suggest the bus left the highway and came to rest in a shallow river. He added: 'Our driver and at least two of the passengers have confirmed injuries, and we are awaiting further updates on the status of others on board. 'At this time, we do not know the circumstances behind this incident and are carrying out an immediate investigation.' Hampshire Constabulary said the road had been closed and anticipated that it would continue to be for up to 12 hours. A force spokesman said: 'Everyone on the bus has been accounted for and all injured persons are being treated by the ambulance service. 'We ask that people do not attend the actual scene. Parents will be contacted by the College, as an Incident Centre has been established at The Hub at Bishopstoke.
