Advertisement

Multiple Injuries As City Centre Buses Collide

Multiple Injuries As City Centre Buses Collide

Two people suffered life-threatening injuries after two buses crashed into each other in Brighton's city centre.

Three people have also been seriously injured in this morning's crash, which police have declared to be a major incident.

South East Coast Ambulance Service says 23 patients were treated - seven were taken to the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton, including the two with very serious injuries.

Six further casualties were taken to the Princess Royal Hospital in Haywards Heath, West Sussex, and 10 were assessed at the scene but did not need hospital treatment.

Pictures of the scene appeared to show one bus had smashed into the back of another.

The street was packed with fire engines, ambulances and police cars, as people from nearby shops poured out to offer help.

"The emergency services had to use another bus to pull the front bus away from the one behind," witness Liam Dunne told the Brighton Argus.

"I saw firefighters smashed the window of one of the buses to get someone out."

The driver of one bus was reported to have been trapped in his cab.

Another witness, Stuart Quinn, said he saw the bus travelling along with a large traffic cone wedged underneath it moments before the crash.

"It was making quite a racket. I thought to myself, 'How could he not notice that?'

"As I looked closer, I looked at him. I looked away for a short time and then heard a God almighty crash and he had gone into the back of the stationary bus," said Mr Quinn, a shopkeeper.

Martin Harris, managing director of Brighton and Hove Buses, confirmed one driver had "significant injuries".

Mr Harris said: "We are exploring all the possible causes and that includes the suggestion that there may have been some sort of medical episode involving the driver."

He said the driver and a passenger, who were taken to hospital with life-threatening injuries, are now said to have "potentially life-changing injuries but that is still serious and a matter of concern".

A spokesman for East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service said motorists should stay away from the Clock Tower area while the scene was being examined and traffic was clearing.