One dead and four injured in horrific bus crash
One person has died and four others suffered personal injury, after two buses collided in Newfield, County Durham.
The two buses crashed head-on shortly after 4pm on Wednesday, leaving one man trapped and three elderly passengers hurt.One of the bus drivers is believed to have been killed.
Two air ambulances were flown to the scene, joining the paramedics and firefighters trying to handle the situation. The buses crashed head-on, in front of a row of bungalows.
Firefighters cut a man from the wreckage before he was taken to hospital.Three elderly passengers were also taken to hospital with grievous personal injuries – one suffering a broken hip and the others classified “walking wounded” described by the police.
The two buses that collided into each other at the residential street in the village just outside the town of Chester-le-Street, were single deck. The scene of the accident was closed while police investigated.
Witnesses said that one of the buses had mounted the pavement and that both vehicles suffered bad damages.
One witness said: "We're all quite worried. It's not a dangerous road – it's a village with a 30mph speed limit. We don't know how it happened."
A Durham Police spokesman said, "At present it is known that one person has died and a number of passengers have been injured.”
It was reported that the victim's family were in talks with injury lawyers to launch compensation claims.
Updated on 04/03/2010