Seventeen injured in bus crash near Thame

THE sixteen passengers and the coach driver of the Oxford Bus Company vehicle, have been taken to hospital after it overturned in thick fog, and slid down an embankment as the bus left the M40 slip road at Junction seven near Thame.

Fire crew stabilise the overturned bus

A spokesman for Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue, described the scene they were met with in the early hours of this morning, December 30: “On arrival the initial fire crews were met with an unstable coach that had overturned and was half way down a bank, and were quickly deployed to assist Highways Officers in walking wounded casualties from the vehicle to safety.

“Trauma trained firefighters treated the injured before handing over to South Central Ambulance staff on scene.

“Once the coach was stabilised and all walking wounded were safely assisted, fire crews thoroughly searched the vehicle and surrounding area for any passengers that may have been ejected. Fire crews worked in partnership with Thames valley Police Officers and specialist Hazardous Area Response Teams from South Central Ambulance Service and employed thermal imaging cameras, image intensifying lens’s, remote cameras and audible searches to try to locate any missing persons.”

Those injured suffered cuts, bruises and broken bones and the South Central Ambulance Service (SCAS) declared it a ‘major incident’ due to the number of people hurt.

Incident Commander, Group Manager Kerry Blair, added: “It was very cold and foggy at the time of the incident and emergency service staff assisted by the Highways Agency worked extremely hard to quickly and safely rescue all casualties and ensure they were transported to hospital without delay. It is testament to our continued multi-agency training that this incident was managed in such a professional manner despite the dangerous and very cold conditions. I urge all drivers to pay particular attention when the roads are cold and foggy and ensure they moderate their speed and leave a safe gap between themselves and other road users.”

M40 northbound exit slip road at junction J7 (Thame) is still closed due to the recovery operation and is not expected to re-open before 4pm.