Embankment collapses under school bus

WEST MIDLANDS Ambulance Service was called out earlier today to an incident involving a school bus packed with children.

The school bus was on Holme Lacy Road in Hereford, on its way to drop children off at two local schools, Bishop Of Hereford’s Bluecoat School and St Mary’s Roman Catholic School, when the accident occurred.

A spokeswoman for bus operator PW Jones Coaches said: “The coach had pulled over to stop on a grass verge and it gave way.” It was also mentioned that a truck was the cause of the incident according to witnesses on the bus.

This caused the bus to plummet down the embankment and tumble on to its left-hand side, leaving one woman – the driver – in intensive care and a large number of the others with injuries.

Although the other passengers had managed to get out before the emergency services arrived, the driver was said to be trapped inside the vehicle before being released by firefighters, and was then taken to be treated for chest and abdominal injuries.

Although a lot of the children on board were required to have medical attention, Sky News was told by Dr Malcom Russell, who treated some of the victims, that “the vast majority of children involved had minor injuries.” However, it is reported that the driver is in a critical condition and is still currently being treated in Hereford County Hospital.