Southern Vectis say they are assisting Police with their enquiries following last night’s (Wednesday’s) bus crash near Arreton, but say that mechanical failure has been ruled out.
As first reported by Island Echo, the 17:45 Route 2 bus from Newport to Ryde was travelling along the A3056 but failed to turn into Merstone Lane as expected, continuing straight on into a field before making a turn to the left. Eyewitnesses say that the double decker ‘launched into the air’ as it entered the field, which resulted in 2 men receiving serious injuries.
A total of 11 people were taken to hospital, 8 of whom were admitted to the Emergency Department. However, all but 2 have now been discharged. The 2 male casualties that remain in the hospital are said to have escaped any critical injuries but Island Echo understands they have sustained significant and serious injuries. There were 13 casualties in total.
Firefighters from Hampshire & Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service had to extricate casualties from the top deck of the bus using a specialist platform. 1 of the injured persons is understood to have had open leg fractures.
7 emergency ambulances, 2 patient transport ambulances, 4 fire engines, 1 rescue tender, 1 Incident Support Unit, 1 Land Rover 4×4 and 2 Coastguard Rescue Teams responded to the incident, alongside several Police units.
The road remained closed for 4 hours but re-opened shortly after 22:00 last night.
Richard Tyldsley, Southern Vectis’ general manager, has said in an update statement this morning:
“One of our vehicles was involved in an incident yesterday evening when the bus left the road near Merston.
“Several passengers sustained injuries and were taken to hospital. We are awaiting an update on their progress and wish them a full and speedy recovery. The safety of our passengers and drivers is our highest priority, and our team began an immediate investigation to establish the circumstances behind this incident.
“We were able to recover the bus by driving it out of the field, and can confirm the event was not the result of a mechanical fault.
“It is too early to report the exact cause but we are assisting police as they carry out their enquiries, and will provide a further update as soon as we are able to.”
UPDATE @ 13:12 – Police are now appealing for witnesses to come forward.
Did you see what happened, or the moments beforehand? Do you have dashcam footage of the incident?
Any witnesses are urged to contact Hampshire Constabulary on 101 or report online, quoting reference 44210482580.
