Bus crash involving schoolchildren 'could have been catastrophic' says doctor

A crash involving a bus full of Leicester schoolchildren “could have been catastrophic”, a doctor who responded to the scene has said. Dr Peter Hughes said the passengers on the bus, which was involved in a collision on the A46 in Leicestershire, were “all very, very lucky”.

Two members of staff and 37 pupils from St Paul’s Catholic School in Evington were on the bus when the collision happened, at around 9.30am last Wednesday (November 13). Ten students were taken to hospital “as a precaution” following the incident.

Dr Hughes, a volunteer with the East Midlands Immediate Care Scheme ( EMICS), was one of the first medical professionals to arrive at the scene. He said: “If the bus had been just five metres further to the left or had started to roll over, it could have been catastrophic.”

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Describing the scene, Dr Hughes said: “There was a lorry and a bus with significant damage blocking the road, there were a lot of children still onboard the bus, it was chaotic.

“The approach to the accident was also difficult as another, unrelated, crash 500 metres before the scene had almost completely blocked the road."

The bus had been arriving at the Rosmini Centre, near Ratcliffe College, when the collision happened. During the incident, the bus hit railings near the centre's entrance. Neil Lockyer, chief executive officer of the St Thomas Aquinas Catholic Multi-Academy Trust, of which the school is part, said at the time that the crash would have been “shocking and upsetting” for those involved. Students and staff from the school were offered counselling.

Dr Hughes praised the response of teachers from St Paul’s Catholic School. Dr Hughes said: “Children can hide injuries, so extra vigilance was critical. The teachers and other responders did an excellent job managing the children’s emotions during the incident.”

EMICS specialises in bringing advanced medical care directly to emergency scenes. The professionals who take part are volunteers.

Dr Hughes said: "Our role is to bring the hospital to the patient, delivering treatment immediately. This early specialist intervention can genuinely save lives."

EMICS operates entirely on donations, and receives no government nor NHS funding. Dr Hughes said the organisation was in urgent need of financial support to be able to continue its work.

He said: "The demand for EMICS is clear, and incidents like this show how critical our role is. Continued funding is vital to sustain this work.” To support the work of the volunteers, visit the EMICS website.

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