Bestival Festival coach crash kills three returning to Liverpool.

Date: 09/10/2012
Time: Around 12:00 A.M.
Location: Hindhead, Surrey, England, United Kingdom
Vehicle(s) Involved: Bus

By Peter Guy - Liverpool Echo

"THREE people were killed and dozens more injured after a coach carrying Bestival festival-goers back to Merseyside crashed in Surrey.

The 51-seater Merseypride Travel coach was on its way back from Bestival in the Isle of Wight when it smashed into a tree on an embankment off the A3 at Hindhead shortly before midnight.
Three people - including the driver - were declared dead at the scene and one of the passengers was airlifted to Southampton General Hospital with what were described
as "life-changing injuries".
The rest of the passengers, some with serious injuries, were taken to the Royal Surrey County Hospital in Guildford, St Peter's Hospital in Chertsey, St George's Hospital in Tooting, King's College Hospital in London, Frimley Park Hospital and Queen Alexandra Hospital in Portsmouth.
Speaking from the scene, Inspector Richard Mallett said 53 people were thought to have been on board.
He said: "We are dealing with a major incident, a tragic major incident. The coach has gone off the road and had a significant impact with a tree, I think that is the best way to describe it.
"The bodies are still trapped inside the vehicle. As you can imagine it is a very delicate operation to remove them. With all due respect to them we need to get them out properly."
He added: "We are confident that there is no-one left in the vehicle alive. Our colleagues from the fire and ambulance service with their specialist teams have been through the vehicle. It is a body recovery operation at this point here."
The coach was heading northbound when it crashed between the Hindhead tunnel and the Thursley exit. No other vehicles were thought to have been involved in the crash.
Surrey Police is working with Merseyside Police and Merseypride to identify the passengers and notify relatives.
Surrey Police assistant chief constable Jerry Kirkby said: "This has been declared a major incident and we are working with our colleagues from the other emergency services and other partner agencies to provide a coordinated response in line with agreed protocols.
"Our thoughts remain with the relatives of the dead and the injured at this time and we are working very hard to notify their next of kin."
A spokesman for Speke-based Merseypride Travel said: "Our condolences go out to the families of the bereaved."
It is understood the coach set off from Aintree on Wednesday for the music festival.
After being medically assessed passengers were being taken to a rest centre set up nearby and managed by Waverley Borough Council.
The centre is based at Thursley Village Hall, a hamlet less than two miles north of the crash scene.Casualties were being offered food and drink and beds.
Leader of Waverley Borough Council Cllr Robert Knowles said the centre "would be open as long as required".
He added: "My thoughts go out to these people - this is a dreadful thing."
Crews from Surrey Police, Surrey Fire and Rescue and South East Coast Ambulance Service attended the scene last night. The road was closed in both directions.
Concerned family and friends should call the casualty bureau on 0800 0560154.
To find out details on how to get to the rest centre contact Waverley Borough Council on 01483 523333.
Passengers had been returning from Bestival - a festival which ran from Thursday to Sunday in Robin Hill Country Park, near Newport in the Isle of Wight.
Acts including Stevie Wonder and Florence and the Machine performed over the weekend.
Fellow festival-goers took to the event's Facebook page this morning to express their sympathies.
Anna Whelan wrote: "A day for rainbows. Thinking of all the families affected by the A3 accident this morning."
Alison Scott wrote: "After an incredible weekend, spare a thought for anyone involved in the terrible coach tragedy yesterday. Bless you all xxxx.""

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Passengers escape injuries as open-topped bus overturns in Dorset.

Date: 07/31/2008
Time: Around 8:30 A.M.
Location: Dorset, England, United Kingdom
Vehicle(s) Involved: Volkswagen Golf, Porsche 911, bus

By Richard Savill and John Bingham 

"Fifteen people, including several children, were sent tumbling from the double-decker but walked away with only minor injuries after a "soft landing" on heather. 

The driver of a black Porsche turbo car was arrested at the scene after the accident on a coastal route through National Trust land near Studland in Dorset.

It is believed the car collided with a red Volkswagen Golf on a bend moments before the bus - a regular Swanage to Bournemouth service popular with tourists - approached.

As the bus driver attempted unsuccessfully to avoid a knock-on crash, the 15-ton bus toppled over a verge and slid down an embankment onto the adjoining heath land.

Those on top were sent tumbling onto the ground while passengers in the lower deck scrambled for fire exits.

Emergency services declared a "major incident", even temporarily requisitioning the nearby ferry to the exclusive Sandbanks peninsula to help with the rescue effort.
But of the 30 people classed as injured, most suffered only shock or cuts and bruises.
Police said the worst injury was a 61-year-old woman's broken arm.
The four occupants of the Golf, a couple and two young children, were airlifted by coastguard helicopter to Dorset County Hospital in Dorchester with cuts and bruises and five others were taken away by ambulance for check-ups.
But 20 others needed little more than a cup of tea at the nearby Knoll House Hotel.
The helicopter then scoured the surrounding heath land with heat-seeking equipment to ensure no one had been left unaccounted for.
Most of those on board the bus were believed to be holidaymakers and children's inflatable beach toys were left scattered around it.
Passenger Rachel Eveling, 41, from Alderbury, Wilts, said: “There was a little girl screaming as her mum was lying on top of her, she was screaming 'get off me’ as her mum could not seem to move.
“I also saw an elderly couple with a child who were very upset.
“It was actually quite amazing as some people began to get up very quickly and it became apparent no-one was seriously hurt.”
Jock Nairn, station manager for Weymouth fire station, said: "The bus rolled down an embankment and ended up rolling on its side, throwing the passengers clear.
"When the fire crew from Swanage arrived there was a lot of confusion as a lot of the casualties were lying some way clear of the bus on the heath land.
"Luckily the heather and gorse was nice and soft and that appears to have broken their fall. They were very lucky."
Dorset Police arrested a 43-year-old man from Wimborne on suspicion of dangerous driving. He suffered superficial injuries in the crash.
"I think the (bus) driver has tried to avoid the collision and has taken that route off the verge into the gorse," Senior investigating officer Sergeant Nikki Burt said.
"It's the drop that has caused the bus to topple.
"I think the toppling over was slow as opposed to people being flung out and I think that is due to the skill of the driver."
Steve Smith, from Dorset Ambulance Service, said: "The passengers were a mixture of ages but there were some young children who were injured.
"It was incredibly lucky that there were no fatalities or more serious injuries."
Chris Harris, a spokesman for Wilts and Dorset bus company, said the route was run all-year round but extra buses are laid on during the summer, including open-topped.
"It is a very, very popular run, the scenery is magnificent," he said.
He added that the company was "very, very sorry"."

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Sheffield crash OAP in fight for life.

Date: 06/10/2012
Time: Around 12:00 P.M.
Location: Heeley, Sheffield, South Yorkshire,  UK
Vehicle(s) Involved: Mobility scooter, Citroen C3

 By TheStar

"A PENSIONER is in hospital with life-threatening leg and pelvic injuries after her mobility scooter was involved in a head-on crash with a car in Sheffield.
The 74-year-old woman was thrown over the handlebars and across the bonnet of a Citroen C3 before landing in the road.
A police spokesman said the scooter was left embedded in the front of the car following the incident on Saturday, at about noon, on Gleadless Road, outside The Sheaf View pub in Heeley.
The woman was taken to the Northern General Hospital, where her injuries were yesterday described as life threatening.
The car driver, a Sheffield woman aged 40, was questioned by police at the scene but not arrested.
Officers taped off the road while accident investigators examined the scene.
One nearby resident, who asked not to be named, said the car and scooter were stopped in the centre of the road.
The impact had deformed the bonnet of the car and spread debris across a wide area.
He said: “It was shocking to see that little scooter embedded in the front of a car bang in the middle of the road. I hope the lady makes a speedy recovery.
“When I arrived she had already been taken to hospital, but one of her black shoes had been left in the road.
“The woman driver was sobbing her eyes out in the arms of a man. She was taken into a police car for a while and then she climbed out and went into the pub, presumably to wait until someone came and picked her up. The car was obviously going nowhere until the accident investigators had examined the scene.
“There were more than half a dozen officers stood around with police cars blocking the bottom of Gleadless Road and Prospect Road initially but they opened Prospect Road after a while.
“It’s not at all obvious how it happened, but it doesn’t look as if the scooter was trying to cross the road in front of the car because it was a head-on crash.”
Anyone with information about the crash is urged to call police on 101."

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Four people injured in A9 collision.

Date: 09/11/2011
Time: Around 11:40 A.M.
Location: Near Dalwhinnie, UK
Vehicle(s) Involved: Volvo, Kia

By Helen Bushnell

"FOUR people were rushed to Raigmore Hospital in Inverness following a serious road collision on the A9 near Dalwhinnie on Sunday.
One person was airlifted and three others were taken by ambulance to hospital after the accident happened at about 11.40am.
Emergency services raced to the scene following several reports of the two vehicle collision, involving a Volvo motor car towing a caravan and a Kia motor car.
Both occupants of both vehicles were injured. None of the injuries were considered to be life-threatening.
The A9 road was closed for two and a half hours to allow rescue and clear up operations to take place."

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Woman dies in road accident with fire engine.

Date: 09/09/2011
Time: Around 9:00 A.M.
Location: Basildon, Essex, UK
Vehicle(s) Involved: Toyota Yaris, Fire Truck

By Matthew Stanton

"A FEMALE motorist has been killed after being involved in a collision with a fire engine.
The driver of a gold Toyota Yaris, believed to be in her 30s, was pronounced dead at the scene after an incident on Broadmayne at around 9am today (Friday).
The fire engine was on blue lights and travelling to an accident between two cars in Ashlyns where an 11-year-old girl was trapped.
The crew were uninjured, despite hitting road barriers.
An air ambulance was sent to the scene and CPR was carried out in the road by paramedics, watched by shocked onlookers.
Currently, Essex Police has cordoned off the stretch of road, opposite Little Oaks, where road policing officers are carrying out investigations.
Senior Divisional Officer Mark Wilson said: "First and foremost, we would like to express our deepest sympathy to the family of the woman involved in this terrible accident.
"It is important to remember today that this family is suffering a tragic loss and all of our thoughts are with them. We will offer them our support in any way it is needed.
"Members of the crew, although unhurt, are extremely distressed and shaken by this tragic incident."
"They were responding to an emergency call to save a child trapped in another incident nearby – saving life is what they do every day so to be directly involved in an accident with such serious consequences deeply affects all of us."
Essex Fire and Rescue Service confirmed it would be ‘co-operating fully’ with police inquiries.
Police are looking for witnesses to come forward – anyone with information should contact the Serious Collision Investigation Unit on 101."

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