School bus that crashed into rail bridge was only going at 11mph
A double-decker school bus which crashed into a bridge leaving children with serious injuries was only travelling at 11mph, it emerged today.
Three children were left with severe injuries while 12 suffered minor injuries following the incident near Winchester, Hampshire.
An investigation was launched last week after the vehicle, carrying more than 70 secondary school pupils, smashed into the bridge at around 8am last Thursday.
After studying evidence, investigators understand the red Stagecoach bus was travelling at 11mph when it hit the bridge in minor injuries following the terrifying incident around 8am on Thursday in Headbourne Worthy.
It is believed the investigation into the incident will take three months.
The bus driver, said to be in his 30s, was in his first week on the ‘easy’ route taking pupils to Henry Beaufort School in nearby Harestock.
He should have ‘stuck to the route’, even if he was running late, and now risks losing his job, a colleague has said.
At this stage the driver has not yet faced any police action.
Inspector Andy Tester, of Hampshire Constabulary, who is involved in the investigation, has said different systems can be used to inform them of the speed the bus was travelling.
He said: ‘There are various systems in the bus that will tell us how fast the bus was going. We believe there was CCTV in the bus that will give us vital information about what happened in the immediate moments before this crash.
‘It does show that there must have been quite a significant impact between the bus and the bridge parapet and that has completely removed the roof front to back and that does take a degree of force.’
Inspector Tester said it ‘was lucky’ there were no fatalities.
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