Seventeen people taken to hospital after Oxfordshire coach crash

Seventeen people were taken to hospital after a coach veered off a motorway in early morning “thick fog”.

Injuries included broken bones, cuts and bruises after the Oxford Bus Company coach crashed off the northbound slip road at junction 7 of the M40, close to Thame, Oxfordshire at 2.45am on Friday.

The ambulance service declared a “major incident” following the crash.

The latest crash took place just 20 miles from the scene of a fatal pile-up on the A40 in Oxfordshire in similarly treacherous conditions on Wednesday.

MORE: Hospital car parks raked in millions last year

MORE: Loo roll ban for crafts is “absolute nonsense”, say experts

South Central Ambulance Service said “thick fog” had made access to the scene more difficult and the bus could still be seen overturned on the side of the road at 8am.

In total, six ambulances helped take the 17 casualties to the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford.

“South Central Ambulance Service declared this a major incident due to the number of patients involved and attended the scene with our colleagues from Thames Valley Police and Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service,” said a spokesman for South Central Ambulance Service

“There was thick fog in the area at the time of the accident which also presented challenges to the emergency services getting to the scene.

“The male coach driver and 16 adult passengers (mixture of male and female) had sustained a variety of minor injuries, such as cuts, bruises, broken bones, etc., and all 17 patients were taken to the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford.

A spokesman for Thames Valley Police said officers were called to the scene at 2.49am following reports of a coach “on its side”.

The Met Office had issued severe weather warnings of freezing fog across south England just minutes after the crash.

A “yellow” fog warning was issued across much of southern England but patches of freezing fog had been witnessed from the Midlands and the Humber to the South West.

It said Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire were set to be particularly badly affected, with dense fog causing less than 100m of visibility.

Driving conditions will be difficult with journeys likely to take longer than usual and delays to air travel are possible, said the Met Office.