It was the worst day of our lives but Oliver is still his smiley, happy self

The parents of a schoolboy seriously hurt in a bus crash on the M53 said they went through the "worst day of their lives."

Oliver Knott, 14, was trapped for hours on the bus, which crashed on the motorway near Hooton on September 29 last year. The vehicle was taking pupils to West Kirby Grammar and Calday Grange Grammar School in Wirral. 15-year-old West Kirby Grammar schoolgirl Jessica Baker and dad-of-two Stephen Shrimpton, who was driving the bus, tragically died.

Now Oliver's stepdad, Ashley Heritage, 30, and mum, Hayley Kelly, 33, both from Chester, have described the heart-stopping moment they received a call from a paramedic to tell them their son was trapped inside the wreckage. They recalled it as the "scariest situation of their lives", and explained the lasting impact on their "smiley, happy" son after several rounds of major surgery in the months since the crash.

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Ashley said: "We got a phone call from the paramedics at the site [to say] Oliver was involved in the M53 bus crash. He got his leg trapped under the front seat of the coach when it crashed.

"He was trapped in the coach for hours before they [the emergency services] could remove him from there. They took him to Alder Hey Children's Hospital where he had a ten-hour surgery. It is a lot to go through at that age. It has been a rough ride."

Calday Grange pupil Oliver's leg had been snapped in the accident, leaving him in an external fixator frame for six months and having to undergo five major surgeries. Eight months later, Oliver's leg remains broken.

Ashley said: "He had snapped his leg - the tibia - he was put in an external fixator frame for six months that held his leg together until it healed. We have had a few complications along the way so we have had more surgeries, he has had a skin graft and infections. So far he has had five surgeries and one more is needed.

"We have been told he will have 'somewhat' a full recovery, but there will be complications that lead on from his leg. His leg has actually broken again after they [doctors] removed the frame so that is why he is needing another surgery."

His mum, Hayley, said Oliver had been positive throughout the journey. She said: "Mentally he is fine, he is being his happy and smiley self. He is handling it quite well - he has been handling it better than us.

"Life has just been at a standstill since it happened. He has missed out on his entire year of school and is doing his GCSEs from this September, which is an added pressure. We are just taking it as every day, we are not trying to get ahead of ourselves and not expecting much because we have been told it will be a long journey. We have pulled together and we have family and friends that have helped us."

His parents say they have no idea how long the recovery process will take. They have set up a GoFundMe page for donations towards Oliver's recovery and future. Hayley added: "He has missed so much school. We want to get him a tutor to help with GCSE preparation, he is also having physio.

"We just want to make it a good summer for him as well, as soon as he is walking we want to give him something fun to do, he has been through so much. He really deserves a bit of help, he has been so strong throughout the whole thing. We didn't realise how grown up he was until this. He has never once complained, just been smiling throughout it all.."

Ashley added: "It was the most traumatic event, the worst day of our lives."

An inquest in March found Mr Shrimpton, 40, had died of natural causes. He was described after the crash by his family as a "caring and thoughtful man who would always prioritise others over himself."

The coroner is expected to hold an inquest into Jessica's death at a later date, with a review hearing scheduled for July. Jessica’s family paid tribute to the talented climber, who they described as a “warm-hearted, wonderful daughter, granddaughter and niece, devoted sister and loyal friend."

If you want to donate to the GoFundMe for Oliver you can here.

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