Schoolgirl, 14, killed after minibus carrying pupils on school trip involved in 'serious' crash

A 14-year-old schoolgirl has been killed after minibus carrying school pupils on a field-trip has been involved in a “serious” crash, police have said.

The bus collided with a lorry and was carrying year nine and 12 students from John Taylor High School in Staffordshire on an art trip when the accident happened, a statement on the school’s website said.

The teenage girl died at the scene, said police

Some 20 people were injured – several other pupils and teachers – said West Midlands police.

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West Midlands police confirmed the fatality following the crash involving the minibus and a refuse lorry on the busy A38 Kingsbury Road in Birmingham.

“A schoolgirl has died in a collision between a minicoach and a bin lorry in Castle Vale this morning (Friday 7 July),” read the police statement.

“Emergency services were called around 9am to Kingsbury Road where the 14-year-old was sadly pronounced dead at the scene.

“Three teachers and 20 other pupils were also on board the coach. One pupil was taken to hospital with superficial injuries and several others were treated at the scene for minor injuries.”

The pupils are aged between 14 and 17.

The lorry driver was unhurt.

The group were apparently planning to visit Birmingham’s Botanical Gardens and then the Wolverhampton Art Gallery, as part of a school art project.

The West Midlands Ambulance Service said it had sent “a large number of resources” to the scene.

Photos showed the emergency crews at the scene of the accident.

Superintendent Dean Hatton, head of the Central Motorway Police Group, said: “This is a tragic incident which has resulted in the death of a pupil from the John Taylor High School in Barton-under-Needwood.

“The family of the teenage girl has been informed and they are being supported by officers from our family liaison unit.”

The crash happened around 9am.

The road is known locally for heavy traffic.

One eyewitness, Alex Jeffers, told the Birmingham Mail that he heard a “loud bang” as he walked close to the road.

“I turned around and I saw a lot of dust go up in the air and a lot of glass shattered and metal from the lorry on the roadway by the bus stop,” he said.

“Both the lorry and the minibus came to a stop. I went over to the minibus to see if there was anything I could do.”

Another, machine worker Stephen Jones, 38, who works nearby, said: “I heard a big bang at 9am this morning – a massive bang.”

He added: “There are a lot of accidents here all the time, it’s a busy road.”

In its statement, the school said: “Please be aware that a number of our year nine and year 12 students that are on an art trip have been involved in a serious road traffic accident this morning.

“We are working to support those directly affected. Please support us by not ringing into school as this closes our lines.

“More information will be provided via the school website.”

One of the local MPs, Labour’s Jack Dromey, tweeted that his “prayers are with those involved”.

The school is a specialist science and leadership academy and has some 1,500 pupils, reported the BBC

It is located close to Burton-upon-Trent.

Motorists are being asked to avoid the area.