I’ve seen some unusual road accident stories in my time, and we at The Injury Lawyers are used to dealing with the quirkier accidents given our wealth of experience and huge amount of claims we take on and settle on a daily basis. But this terrifying story from the Daily Mail really is an unusual one…
According to the source, a double-decker bus was flipped over on a motorway after a crazed passenger grabbed the steering wheel and forced the bus off the road. Remarkably, no one was killed in the incident; however two of the twelve passengers were reportedly injured with one man being taken to hospital with suspected spinal injuries. The terrified passengers escaped the vehicle through a hatch in the roof.
The report goes on to say that the reckless passenger fled the scene, but was later apprehended after a police helicopter tracked him down. Despite being injured in the incident, the bus driver tried his best to fight off the man and keep control of the vehicle as it swerved across the hard shoulder and ended up on an embankment. The driver has spoken out after the incident, saying “I thought: ‘Oh my God, this is it’. I was struggling to keep the coach on the road and braking really hard. The coach began to go up the banking and I could feel it was about to topple over.” He went on to praise the passengers whom remained seemingly calm with no screaming or shouting, as they all went on to help each other escape through the roof hatch.
“The passengers were absolutely brilliant”, he said. “You could have used it in a training video. I was amazed everyone walked out of there. I still can’t believe it. I don’t take any credit for it. I just reacted to what happened. It was the design of the coach and the seatbelts that saved us.” The experienced driver has been openly commended for his actions.
It’s an unbelievable story – and it’s a miracle that no one appears to have been seriously injured, let alone killed. It’s quite clear that the incident could have been far, far worse. Such a large vehicle being forced on across a motorway uncontrollably could have ended in a huge pile up. Perhaps it’s a little lucky that the incident was at 2am in the morning, when I assume the roads will have been relatively clear.
Roads can be dangerous places – and accidents can easily occur. This was unfortunately the actions of a reckless passenger whose motives are yet to come to light. If you are in a road accident that wasn’t your fault, you may be entitled to claim for compensation for your injures (and let’s face it, you can end up pretty hurt in a road crash).
Speak to an expert firm of personal injury lawyers for the best advice on claiming for compensation.
