Five passengers seriously injured

after coach carrying 49 pensioners on Christmas tour overturns

By Richard Hartley-parkinson
Last updated at 8:19 AM on 25th December 2010

Five pensioners were seriously injured after a 'Christmas tour of Norfolk' bus overturned, trapping some of its passengers yesterday afternoon.

The single-decker bus, with 49 people on board, most of them elderly, crashed at 3.40pm and several had to be cut free by rescuers.

The group was heading towards Norwich after visiting Holt, a town to the north of the county, when the coach left the road, climbed a steep grass embankment and flipped onto its side.

Police are trying to establish why the crash happened. No other vehicles were involved.

They said that 'thankfully' the passengers were wearing their seatbelts - meaning that no-one was killed.

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Cut free: The single-decker bus, with 49 mostly elderly people on board, crashed during a Christmas tour of Norfolk. A large hole had to be cut out of the front window to help free some of them

Crash: The overturned bus last night after it apparently clipped the kerb and flipped over

The accident happened on the A140 at Horsham St Faith, just north of Norwich and close to Norwich Airport and police described the event as a 'major incident'.

Seventeen people were rushed to hospital to be treated for their injuries, nine of whom were seriously hurt as a result of the crash, although to what extent is currently unknown.

One passenger said the coach was carrying pensioners who had been on a Christmas tour of Norfolk and was due to continue until December 27.

They said: 'We had been to Holt and were heading towards Norwich. Me and my husband dozed off and the next thing we knew the coach was on its side.'

An East of England Ambulance Service spokeswoman later said out of the 49 patients, 17 were taken to the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital.

She added: 'None of the patients were critically injured with most of the injuries being bruises, bumps and aches.

'A small number of patients had minor head injuries and potential fractures.'

Crews from Norfolk Fire and Rescue Service helped to free those trapped and there were at least eight ambulance vehicles on the scene.

Clearance: A crane lifted the overturned coach so that the road could be re-opened last night

The Ambulance Service spokeswoman added: 'We are also checking over a number of other patients at the local village hall.'

A Norfolk County Council spokesman, who is at the scene, said the vehicle was on its side.

'A major incident has been declared. At this stage there is nobody left at the scene,' he said.

Inspector David Ball of Norfolk Police told BBC News: 'For reasons which we are not totally certain of yet it has gone off to its near side, mounted the high rise and has flipped over on its side.

'Police officers turned up first I understand, which were soon followed by the fire brigade and ambulance.

Accident: Nine people were seriously injured in the coach crash

Smashed: The damage to the coach in which several elderly people were injured is visible once it is back on all four wheels

'The people were trapped in the seats, thankfully they had seat belts on."

He added: 'If nobody was wearing seat belts it would have gone down on its side, they'd have landed on top of each other, it would have been a lot worse than it would appear to be. Thankfully we have had no fatalities involved in this.'

'The road conditions were fine, I don't think road conditions have played any kind of part in this.

'We are early stages in terms of the investigation, we've spoken to the driver and clearly we will be asking him a little bit more about what's actually happened. We can't account at present for why the vehicle has gone on to its near side.'

Those needing hospital treatment were taken to Norwich and Norfolk Hospital and everyone else was taken to Horsham St Faith community centre.