Children hurt as roof is sliced off school bus near Chesterfield

The double-decker hit the bridge on Works Road, Hollingwood, at around 8.30am today.

A total of 18 children, who were going from Ridgeway to St Mary’s Catholic Secondary School in Chesterfield on the TM Travel vehicle, were taken to Chesterfield Royal Hospital for treatment.

One child was seriously injured in the crash while the others all received minor injuries, an East Midlands Ambulance Service (EMAS) spokesman said.

Witness Keith Evans said the roof of the bus “was at one side of the bridge and the bus was at the other”.

He told the BBC that many children were in tears at the scene and there was a lot of debris from the crash.

Mr Evans said: “We grabbed hold of a young lad who was standing by the side of me - all his teeth were missing. He had a really bad gash under his chin and blood on his head, so I got him a towel and sat him on the floor.”

Paramedics from EMAS were sent to the scene after receiving a 999 call at 8.33am.

Craig Whyles, operational support manager, said: “On arrival, we assessed the children to determine the level of care and treatment they needed.

“As expected the children were very distressed and several had sustained minor facial injuries. One child was transported to hospital with serious injuries but at that time they were not thought to be life threatening.

“In total we cared for and transported 11 children to Chesterfield Hospital using our three land ambulances and the Patient Transport Service vehicles for the children with minor injuries.

“Whilst treating the patients our crews did what they could to calm the children and offer some reassurance to the parents who had arrived on scene.”

Sean McClafferty, head teacher at St Mary’s, said parents of all the injured children had been informed.

He said 18 children in total were taken to hospital for treatment and checks after the incident and added: “We are very fortunate that no pupils were more seriously injured.

“We are working with the children and families involved to support them after this shock and to help those who received injuries.”

A spokeswoman for Derbyshire Police said the matter was under investigation by the force and the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency.

No-one from TM Travel was available for comment.