M25 coach crash: Victims remain in hospital after dozens hurt
- Published
At least three people who were injured when the coach they were in overturned on the M25 motorway remain in hospital.
Dozens were hurt - including 10 children - when the vehicle came off the motorway near junction three at Swanley, Kent, at 16:00 BST on Monday.
The carriageway was shut and a major incident was declared at the Princess Royal University Hospital in Orpington (PRUH).
Amid the chaos, a baby boy was born in the queuing traffic.
The "mother and baby were believed to be doing well at the time of delivery", a spokesman for South East Coast Ambulance Service (Secamb) said.
In a tweet, the service said it had taken a total of 49 people to various hospitals in the area.
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The spokesman said most of the injured were taken to PRUH, some to Darent Valley Hospital in Dartford and one to Tunbridge Wells Hospital in Pembury.
Three adults were believed at the time to have serious injuries and were taken to each of the three hospitals.
Darent Valley Hospital said none of the casualties it treated - of which three were children - was seriously injured and all were discharged on Monday evening.
The PRUH said 38 casualties - including several children - were treated for "broken bones, whiplash, bumps and scrapes".
One passenger on the London-based coach, which was returning from Portsmouth, said he was thrown out of a window and crawled through bushes to the roadside where passers-by came to help him.
The 66-year-old spoke of "chaos inside the vehicle where people had fallen on top of one another".
"There were many elderly passengers and disabled people on board and it's really nothing short of a miracle that there were no serious casualties," he said.
Kent Fire and Rescue Service crews had to use cutting gear to free two people trapped in the wreckage.
Kent Police said there had been no arrests but the cause of the crash was under investigation.
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Eyewitness Mitchell Melvin helped rescue some of those on board the coach.
"We quickly jumped up, smashed a back window, was pulling people off the back, realised that some people were stuck underneath where they've come out of the side of the coach, so we went down the side and started taking people out from the side as well", he said.
Coach operator Green's of London issued a statement almost 24 hours after the crash.
It said: "We are very shocked and concerned to hear about the incident on the M25 yesterday and we thank the emergency services for their prompt response.
"Green's of London has been operating since 1980 and we have always maintained an excellent safety record, with no incidents of this kind happening before.
"We are co-operating very closely with the police and emergency services to investigate this matter and ensure it is resolved promptly."
- Published13 August 2018
