HORROR ON SCHOOL BUS

HORROR ON SCHOOL BUS

27 February 2013

THE driver of a bus carrying special needs children which overturned after being struck by a van outside Downpatrick yesterday morning has been praised for helping get the students safely off the vehicle.

Malcolm Johnston was on his way to Knockevin Special School with 12 pupils on board when the accident happened at the Vianstown Road junction with the Bonecastle Road around 9am.

A white Volkswagen van crashed into the side of the bus which resulted in the vehicle toppling over onto its right hand side, smashing a number of windows.

Mr. Johnston, bus escort Philomena McLaughlin and two women, who had been travelling along the Vianstown Road at the time of the accident, helped keep the shaken pupils calm and help them off the bus.

The children were then taken to a nearby house where they were assessed by paramedics and an Ambulance Service doctor.

All of the children, including one in a wheelchair who was at the rear of the bus, were strapped into harnesses which medics say prevented them from sustaining serious injury. The impact of the crash was so severe that one of the wheels on the wheelchair buckled.

Staff from Knockevin, including school principal Mrs. Ann Cooper and the children’s parents and relatives, rushed to the Vianstown Road to be with the pupils before they were subsequently transferred to the Downe Hospital in Downpatrick and the Ulster Hospital in Dundonald.

Mr. Johnston, who was injured in the crash, and the driver of the Volkswagen van, were also taken to hospital.

The school principal said it’s a “miracle” no one was seriously injured and admitted the consequences of what happened could have been very serious.

“All the children were well strapped in and this was a major factor in ensuring there were no serious injuries. What happened highlights the importance of ensuring children travelling on buses are safely strapped in at all times,” continued Mrs. Cooper.

She added: “It is a miracle no one was seriously injured when the bus toppled over. There must have been quite an impact for this to happen.”

Ambulance Service doctor Nigel Ruddle said he was very glad to see the school bus was fitted with seat belts and revealed the comments of those first on the scene of the accident suggest that the seat belts made a “major difference in minimising serious injury.”

He added: “Regardless of whether it’s a school bus or any other vehicle, seat belts are of paramount importance for children and adults. I have no doubt that the presence of seat belts on this bus made a major contribution to the lack of severe injuries in this accident.”

A GP who rushed to the crash site to help after hearing ambulance sirens, described the scene at the Vianstown Road to reporters as a “nightmare.” Dr. Stuart Kane said the school bus was on its side with shattered glass everywhere.

He added: “The children had all been seen by a doctor with the Ambulance Service, with all the injuries sustained relatively minor, ranging from cuts and bruises to a suspected fractured collar bone.”