Man arrested after bus driver killed and 15 people injured in crash involving two buses

A man has been arrested after a crash involving two buses left one of the bus drivers dead and 15 people injured.

Two single decker buses and a car were involved in the crash in Orpington, south-east London, on Thursday evening.

Police confirmed that the pile-up left a Kenneth Matcham, 60, - the driver of one of the buses - dead.

The driver of the car, a 24-year-old man, was arrested at the scene on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving and drug driving, police said. He was taken to hospital and then to a London police station.

The Met Police said the bus driver’s next of kin have been informed. Formal identification and a post-mortem examination will take place in due course.

Detectives are appealing for witnesses and footage of the crash, which happened just after 10pm on Thursday (October 31).

Kenneth Matcham had spoken to his daughter shortly before, according to reports.

His daughter, Shelley Gardner, told MailOnline they had chatted while he was on a break that evening.

She said: “He called me to ask me if I’d taken the kids out trick or treating.“I told him that I had and he said ‘where’s my pictures then?’

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Paramedics treated 15 casualties at the scene - three for serious injuries and the remaining people had minor injuries.

Emergency services including the London Fire Brigade (LFB) and London Ambulance Service (LAS) were also called to the scene.

An LAS spokesman said “a number of resources” had been sent to the crash, including 10 ambulance crews.

He said: “We treated 15 patients and took them to hospital. Despite the best efforts of our medics, a person sadly died at the scene.”

On Friday, one witness told the PA news agency that the scene on Sevenoaks Road was “carnage like nothing I’ve seen before”.

“The house shook – it was like a bomb had gone off,” he said.“I ran out and down the road to help straight away – I was one of the first people there.”

The man said an R11 bus had crashed into the wall of a house, and another, the 358, ended up on the pavement.

He added: “I jumped onto the bus, and lifted someone up who had broken their arm and leg.

“Four to five people had been thrown from the bus and were lying on the road, and the buses were destroyed… it was carnage like nothing I’ve ever seen before.

“There were all sorts of injuries, from cuts and grazes to people who couldn’t move because of broken bones.”