Peshwari Naan
Peshwari Naan shows that Salsabil is not on her own. National Express does not operate as well as the company wants the public to believe. In this blog Salsabil republishes material that she has found on the internet to demonstrate that she is not the only one who knows just how badly National Express operates it's coach services in the UK.Saturday, September 22, 2007
BBC website shows on 22nd September 2007...- click on the link from this webpage to watch a video of the recovery of this coach -...
M-way coach crash driver bailed.
The driver of a National Express coach who was arrested after the vehicle left the road and went down an embankment in Essex has been bailed.
The 43-year-old, from east London, was arrested on suspicion of careless driving after the crash, on the northbound M11 near Harlow on Friday.
None of the 15 passengers on the London to Stansted Airport coach was injured.
The driver has been released on police bail, pending further inquiries, until 26 October.
National Express said it was working with police to establish the cause of the crash, which happened shortly before 0630 BST between junctions seven and eight of the motorway.
It comes just weeks after an incident at Newport Pagnell services, Buckinghamshire, involving a National Express coach in which 30 people were injured, six of them, including the driver, seriously.
The driver of that coach was arrested on suspicion of drink-driving and released on bail.
Black Light Theatre writes on 22nd September 2007...
I wish National express staff would be more careful with our guitars..the little gimp took pleasure in telling us they are going to get battered around by suitcases full of old peoples knickers as he slung them under the coach. Twat...The Coach trip back to Sheff was wank as always strangers dribbling on your shoulder as your stuck in jams on the M1.
Sir Spimlot writes on 21st September 2007...
Lastly, a special mention to the super geniuses that thought it would be a great idea to close the motorway to get that National Express coach out of the hedge during lunchtime on a Friday, when everyone is trying to get home from work early. Now, let's think for a second, maybe you had to move the bus yeah great I appreciate that, but we are working UNDERNEATH one of those stupid digital motorway sign things, and it had NOTHING written on it when we set off, only to get stuck in traffic 10 minutes later. Thanks a fucking lot.
M-way coach crash driver bailed.
The driver of a National Express coach who was arrested after the vehicle left the road and went down an embankment in Essex has been bailed.
The 43-year-old, from east London, was arrested on suspicion of careless driving after the crash, on the northbound M11 near Harlow on Friday.
None of the 15 passengers on the London to Stansted Airport coach was injured.
The driver has been released on police bail, pending further inquiries, until 26 October.
National Express said it was working with police to establish the cause of the crash, which happened shortly before 0630 BST between junctions seven and eight of the motorway.
It comes just weeks after an incident at Newport Pagnell services, Buckinghamshire, involving a National Express coach in which 30 people were injured, six of them, including the driver, seriously.
The driver of that coach was arrested on suspicion of drink-driving and released on bail.
Black Light Theatre writes on 22nd September 2007...
I wish National express staff would be more careful with our guitars..the little gimp took pleasure in telling us they are going to get battered around by suitcases full of old peoples knickers as he slung them under the coach. Twat...The Coach trip back to Sheff was wank as always strangers dribbling on your shoulder as your stuck in jams on the M1.
Sir Spimlot writes on 21st September 2007...
Lastly, a special mention to the super geniuses that thought it would be a great idea to close the motorway to get that National Express coach out of the hedge during lunchtime on a Friday, when everyone is trying to get home from work early. Now, let's think for a second, maybe you had to move the bus yeah great I appreciate that, but we are working UNDERNEATH one of those stupid digital motorway sign things, and it had NOTHING written on it when we set off, only to get stuck in traffic 10 minutes later. Thanks a fucking lot.
Saturday, September 15, 2007
BBC News website shows on 15th September 2007...
Man is arrested after M62 closure
A stretch of the M62 in Merseyside has been partially reopened after being closed because of a "suspicious package" found on a coach.
Police called the bomb squad and shut the road in both directions for four hours between junctions four at Rocket and six at Tarbock Island.
The closure followed a disturbance on the National Express 380 service from Liverpool to Manchester.
A man has been arrested and detained under the Mental Health Act.
The eastbound lane where the evacuated coach is parked, remains closed and passengers are being interviewed by police officers about the incident.
A Merseyside Police spokesman said: "We were called following a disturbance on a coach and the discovery of a suspicious package.
Passengers interviewed
"That package has since been declared safe.
"A man was arrested for a breach of the peace and as a precaution the passengers and driver were evacuated from the coach.
"While a search of the coach and some items of luggage was carried out, a cordon was put in place which required the closure of both carriageways."
He said a thorough search was carried out by specially trained officers and said the motorway was now fully opened west bound, with a near lane closure east bound.
He added: "The passengers are currently with officers and it is hoped that they will be able to continue their journey later today.
"The man arrested has now been detained under section 136 of the Mental Health Act."
A spokeswoman for National Express added: "There was a security incident and the police were called.
"All the passengers were evacuated and the bomb squad were called."
Man is arrested after M62 closure
A stretch of the M62 in Merseyside has been partially reopened after being closed because of a "suspicious package" found on a coach.
Police called the bomb squad and shut the road in both directions for four hours between junctions four at Rocket and six at Tarbock Island.
The closure followed a disturbance on the National Express 380 service from Liverpool to Manchester.
A man has been arrested and detained under the Mental Health Act.
The eastbound lane where the evacuated coach is parked, remains closed and passengers are being interviewed by police officers about the incident.
A Merseyside Police spokesman said: "We were called following a disturbance on a coach and the discovery of a suspicious package.
Passengers interviewed
"That package has since been declared safe.
"A man was arrested for a breach of the peace and as a precaution the passengers and driver were evacuated from the coach.
"While a search of the coach and some items of luggage was carried out, a cordon was put in place which required the closure of both carriageways."
He said a thorough search was carried out by specially trained officers and said the motorway was now fully opened west bound, with a near lane closure east bound.
He added: "The passengers are currently with officers and it is hoped that they will be able to continue their journey later today.
"The man arrested has now been detained under section 136 of the Mental Health Act."
A spokeswoman for National Express added: "There was a security incident and the police were called.
"All the passengers were evacuated and the bomb squad were called."
Sunday, September 09, 2007
crazy horse writes on 9th September 2007...
I expect that the increasing number of accidents involving poorly qualified, vodka sodden, non-English drivers will soon concentrate the minds of potential passengers, who will avoid Nat Express like the plague, and the laws of the market place will prevail.
Emma Stone writes on 7th September 2007...
EIGHT people remain in hospital following a National Express coach crash involving passengers from Coventry earlier this week. Three patients, including a 28-year-old man from the city, are being treated at Northampton General Hospital.
The Coventry man, who is believed to be from the Willenhall area and suffered a cracked knee in the crash, is due to be discharged.
The 34-year-old driver from West Bromwich, who was arrested on suspicion of drink-drinking and dangerous driving, is in a stable condition and is being transferred to Sandwell General Hospital in West Bromwich.
He will not be questioned by police officers until he is discharged from hospital.
Two passengers are still being treated at Milton Keynes General Hospital and a further two are still at John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford.
A total of ten other passengers have now been discharged.
As reported in the Telegraph, a National Express coach which had picked up 12 passengers from Pool Meadow bus station in Coventry crashed at Newport Pagnell services in Buckinghamshire.
The accident happened when the coach clipped a kerb as it entered the services at about 4pm on Monday.
The single-decker coach then hit a lamppost and a tree as it rolled over.
The coach, carrying 33 passengers, was the 777 service from Birmingham to Stansted Airport.
Police are appealing for anyone who saw the coach travelling from Birmingham to contact them. They would also like to hear from anyone who witnessed the accident.
Call the 24-hour Police Enquiry Centre on 0845 8505 505.
Information can also be left anonymously with Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
to the regiment writes on 6th September 2007...
Yesterday, Monday 3 September - 9 months to-the-day since the last one, a National Express coach was involved in a serious accident as it entered the southbound Newport Pagnel service area, resulting in the coach hitting a kerb and tipping onto its offside, coming to rest with its front smashed into a lamp post and a tree.
The driver, whose surname I've already been able to glean thanks to contacts within the business, was not employed by National Express but buy a third-party operator called Veolia Birmingham. It wasn't too long ago that they'd taken over operation of this National Express Service 777 between Stansted Airport-Birmingham from another third-party operator called Birmingham Coach Company.
Initial reports on BBC News 24 cited 5 people had been seriously injured, the driver being one, and 45 walking wounded. This number has been reduced to a total on board of 33 passengers though 5 seriously injured remains the same.
The vehicle, a Scania/Irizar PB, registration YN55 PXC is a chassis and body combination that won Coach of the Year 2004 and was one of the type of vehicles National Express purchased for having the 'wow factor'.
Quite why the driver was putting into Newport Pagnel services is a mystery as, 300yds further down the M1, it had a timing point at Milton Keynes Coachway, which forms part of the J14 Interchange. The driver was arrested on suspicion of Drink Driving and Dangerous Driving at the scene, though presumably after he'd been cut free of his vehicle. A breath test is standard procedure at the scene of a collision, though to then be arrested as a result of this does imply that the driver was very much pissed.
This guy deserves what's coming to him. My mate and former colleague, 'Scarah', was sent to prison for 2 months following a succesful conviction of drink-driving and her vehicle hit nothing and injured nobody. Whilst a mechanical defect with the vehicle has still to be rulued out it does need mentioning I guess, though the fact that hundreds of similar vehicles operating up and down the motorways of the UK have not been taken off the road for safety inspections, would rule out mechanical problems.
One passenger told BBC news that the driver was very eratic and it had made her put her seatbelt on. Was he so pissed that he came off a shade too early and was greeted with the much sharper turn into Newport Pagnel services rather than the straight ascent to J14?
Express and Star newspaper website shows on 6th September 2007...
The National Express driver arrested on suspicion of drink driving after a coach crash on the M1, has been named as Les Weinburg from West Bromwich.
The 34-year-old was arrested after emergency services cut him free from the wreck of his upturned single decker coach on Monday.
The Birmingham to Stansted bus crashed after it allegedly clipped a kerb as Mr Weinburg drove into the Newport Pagnell service station, on the M1.
But his mum, 60-year-old Jane Weinburg, has denied he is a drinker.
Speaking at her Dudley home, she said: “I can’t believe that he would do anything that stupid. He knows that with a job like his you can’t drink.”
Kara Marchant writes on 6th September 2007...
A WOMAN from Worcester is one of eight people being treated in hospital after being involved in the Newport Pagnell coach crash. The 39-year-old passenger, whose name has not been released, suffered head injuries. She is being treated at the John Radcliffe II Hospital in Oxford. The coach overturned on a motorway services slip road on Monday injuring 30 people, six of them seriously. The National Express coach was travelling southbound on the M1 towards Stansted Airport when it overturned and rolled onto its side after clipping a kerb as it headed towards Newport Pagnell services just after 4pm.
The coach driver, a 34-year-old man, was arrested on suspicion of drink and dangerous driving, and is still being treated for arm and chest injuries in a Northampton hospital. Officers will not interview him until he is well enough. Thames Valley Police officers have now removed the coach from the scene of the accident and conducted a fingertip search of the area.
Thirty three people were on board the coach that left Digbeth in Birmingham before picking up at Birmingham International and Coventry. The injured, including six people with serious injuries, were taken to hospitals in Milton Keynes, Northampton and Oxford. A spokesman for National Express said they have a zero tolerance approach to alcohol or drug use by their drivers. Richard Bowker, chief executive of National Express said: "We would like to reassure our customers that their safety is of
paramount importance to us – we are obsessive and uncompromising about this. "We take a tough approach and have alcohol and drug policies which are more stringent than the legal requirement. We undertake random tests on drivers on a weekly basis as part of a wider driver assessment programme." He added: "Our thoughts are with those passengers who remain in hospital following yesterday’s accident."
Shropshire Star shows on 6th September 2007...
A Shropshire woman seriously hurt in a motorway coach crash was expected to undergo further surgery today.
The 45-year-old, from Church Stretton, suffered a dislocated elbow, dislocated shoulder and facial injuries when the National Express coach she was travelling on overturned near Newport Pagnell in Buckinghamshire.
The coach clipped a kerb, hit a lamppost and tree and overturned as it entered Newport Pagnell services on the M1 on Monday, en route from Birmingham to Stansted Airport in Essex.
There were 33 people on board at the time and 30 were hurt, including six seriously, including the Church Stretton woman.
The 34-year-old driver, from West Bromwich, who had to be cut free from the wreckage, was breath-tested at the scene and arrested shortly afterwards on suspicion of drink-driving and dangerous driving.
The Church Stretton woman is currently in Northampton General Hospital.
Thames Valley Police, which is investigating the accident, said today: “Her condition is fine and there are currently no plans to discharge her.”
The force said yesterday the woman, who has not been identified, was stable following an operation and was due to have further surgery today.
Alan Harris writes on 5th September 2007...
TWO passengers from Coventry and Warwickshire remain in hospital after a horrific coach crash on the M1, which injured more than 30 people. As reported in yesterday's Telegraph, a National Express coach which had picked up 12 passengers from Pool Meadow bus station in Coventry crashed at Newport Pagnell services in Buckinghamshire. Police have revealed that a 28-year-old man from Coventry suffered a cracked knee in the accident. He is among four patients, including one from France, who are still being treated at Northampton General Hospital. Eight others have now been discharged.
A 61-year-old man from Kenilworth suffered serious arm injuries, a broken pelvis and facial injuries. He is being treated with another injured passenger at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford. Two patients, from Australia and Poland, remain at Milton Keynes General Hospital. The accident happened when the coach clipped a kerb as it entered the services at about 4pm on Monday.
The single-decker coach then hit a lamppost and a tree as it rolled over. The coach, carrying 33 passengers, was the 777 service from Birmingham to Stansted Airport.
Kirsty Plummer, aged 16, from Luton, who joined the coach at Coventry, said she put her seat belt on after she noticed the coach seemed to be going fast. She said: "When we went over they had to kick the glass out to free us. Some of the people on board were badly injured. "I saw a man with blood pouring from his head."
Richard Bowker, chief executive of National Express, extended his sympathy to the injured passengers and said they were helping police investigate the crash. He added: "We would like to reassure our customers that their safety is of paramount importance to us - we are obsessive and uncompromising about this. Coach crashes are rare but we are never complacent and are focused on understanding what went wrong."
Police are appealing for anyone who saw the coach travelling from Birmingham to contact them. They would also like to hear from anyone who witnessed the accident. Phone the 24-hour Police Enquiry Centre on 0845 8 505 505. Information can also be left anonymously with Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
* The driver of the coach, aged 34, from West Bromwich, has been arrested on suspicion of drink-driving and dangerous driving.
He is being treated for arm and chest injuries. Thames Valley Police say he will be interviewed when he is well enough.
Northampton Chronicle and Echo shows on 5th September 2007...
M1 coach driver to face quiz
THE driver of a coach which overturned on a slip road off the M1 motorway at Newport Pagnell allegedly failed a breath test after being cut from the wreckage.
The 34-year-old, from West Bromwich, West Midlands, was arrested on suspicion of drink driving after his vehicle flipped over at about 4pm on Monday.
Officers are still waiting to speak to the driver, who was seriously injured in the crash, and is being treated at Northampton General Hospital.
Dozens of people were also injured, six seriously, when the single-decker overturned after hitting a kerb. Police have carried out a detailed investigation of the scene.
Richard Bowker of National Express, operators of the coach from Birmingham to Stansted Airport, said the firm was fully co-operating.
“To be even considered to drive for National Express you have to pass very rigorous tests and the recruitment test – particularly around drugs and alcohol – is very tough.”
BBC website shows on 4th September 2007...
Coach crash boss in safety claim
The owners of a coach which overturned on a slip road to services on the M1 are "obsessed" with safety, its chief executive has said.
Richard Bowker of National Express said drivers have to meet "tough standards" and pass random drink-drive tests.
Mr Bowker also said the firm was fully co-operating with police investigating the crash at Newport Pagnell, Bucks.
The driver of the coach, a 34-year-old man from West Bromwich, has been arrested on suspicion of drink-driving.
Thirty people were injured, including six who were seriously hurt, in the crash on Monday afternoon, as the coach travelling from Birmingham to Stansted airport entered the services on the southbound carriageway of the motorway.
Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Mr Bowker said: "To be even considered to drive for National Express you have to pass very rigorous tests and the recruitment test, particularly around drugs and alcohol, is very tough.
"Once you are driving for National Express then the standards to which you have to perform are higher in terms of drink than the legal requirement.
"We randomly test and that means that it is extremely likely that you will be caught at some point."
The single-decker coach clipped a kerb, hit a lamppost and a tree and toppled over on to the driver's side in the accident.
Police were called by service station managers and four ambulances went to the scene.
Driver breath-tested
The six with serious injuries were taken to hospitals in Milton Keynes, Northampton and Oxford.
Emergency services said 11 people, described as "walking wounded", suffered minor injuries and 17 were discharged at the scene.
The driver, who had to be cut free from the wreckage, was breath-tested at the scene and is now under arrest in hospital on suspicion of drink driving.
He is being treated for an injured arm and cracked ribs.
Three of his passengers are still being treated at Northampton hospital. They are a woman, 45, from Church Stretton near
Shrewsbury, Shropshire; a man, 60, from Goussanoville in France and a man, 28, from Coventry.
A woman, 57, from Victoria, Australia, and a man, 20, from Gdansk, Poland, are being treated at Milton Keynes General Hospital.
A further two passengers - a woman, 39, from Worcester and a man, 61, from Kenilworth, Warwickshire, are being treated at the JRII in Oxford.
Mr Bowker continued: "This is now a police investigation and obviously we need to learn the detail of this ourselves as quickly as possible.
"It is so incredibly rare for us to have an incident like this... travelling by coach is far, far safer than travelling by car - it was last week, it will be this week and it will be in the future."
The coach had left Birmingham at 1400 BST.
Laura May writes on 4th September 2007...
Six people were being treated in hospital last night and a driver was being questioned by police after a National Express coach
overturned on a motorway. The single-decker coach clipped a kerb, hit a lamppost and a tree and toppled over onto the driver's side as it entered Newport Pagnell services on the southbound M1.
Police were called by service station managers just after 4pm. Four ambulances went to the scene. Thirty people were injured and the six with serious injuries were taken to hospitals in Milton Keynes, Northampton and Oxford. Emergency services said 11 people, described as "walking wounded", received minor injuries and 17 were discharged at the scene.
The driver, who had to be cut free from the wreckage, was breath tested at the scene and arrested shortly afterwards on suspicion of drink-driving and dangerous driving.
A casualty bureau, for those who are concerned a relative or friend was on board, has been opened. The numbers are as follows: 0800 056 0146 or from outside the UK +44 20 7158 0198.
The M1 is still running smoothly, though there is no access to the services itself and investigators hope to remove the coach from the slip road during the night.
The bus left Birmingham Digbeth at 2pm bound for Stansted and Luton Airport. It stopped at Birmingham International at 2.20pm
and Coventry at 2.40pm and was due to arrive in Stansted Airport in Essex at 5.55pm. One of the passengers said the coach was "going fast round corners" before the crash. Kirsty Plummer, from Luton, told Sky News: "I knew something was going to happen, the
driver was swerving so I put my seat belt on." She said other passengers who did not fasten their seat belts fell on top of her as the coach overturned and were more seriously injured.
Eddie Gershon, a spokesman for Welcome Break, which operates the service station, said: "The coach went over on its side after hitting a lamppost and a tree, I've been told, and ended up in the car park. "About a dozen staff from Newport Pagnell came out and gave initial first aid before the emergency services arrived."
A spokeswoman for Thames Valley Police said: "It appears that shortly after 4pm the National Express coach clipped a kerb and rolled on to its side."
Superintendent Mick Doyle told Sky News the driver was breath tested at the scene and found to be over the legal limit for driving.
The Times prints on 4th September 2007...
A coach driver was arrested on suspicion of drink driving after his bus overturned on a slip road, injuring more than 30 people, six seriously.
The National Express coach crashed as it entered the Newport Pagnell station on the M1, in Buckinghamshire. Jaiden McClaine, 15, of Birmingham, said: “As we went round the corner into the services the coach went right up in the air and turned over. Passengers were shouting and screaming.”
Eddie Gershon, of Welcome Break, which operates the service station, said: “The coach went over on its side after hitting a lamppost and a tree and ended up in the car park.” Police said that the driver of the coach – the 777 from Birmingham to Luton and Stansted airports – was arrested on suspicion of dangerous and drink driving after being breathalysed at the scene.
South Central Ambulance said that many of the coach’s 33 passengers suffered multiple fractures, serious internal injuries and deep lacerations.
Raj Bagna, who witnessed the crash, said: “There was blood everywhere. People had injuries to their arms, knees and legs.”
Three people died in January after a National Express coach overturned on a slip road.
Ben Farmer writes on 4th September 2007...
The driver of a National Express coach was arrested last night on suspicion of drink and dangerous driving after his vehicle flipped over at a motorway service station.
Dozens of people were injured, six seriously, when the single-decker overturned after hitting a kerb on a slip road off the M1. The accident happened as the coach, which was travelling between Birmingham and Stansted Airport, Essex, pulled into the Newport Pagnell Services, Bucks.
The driver had to be cut free from the wreckage by fire crews after being trapped behind the wheel. Helicopter air ambulances ferried the most seriously injured to hospital.
An ambulance service spokesman said they had been taken to Milton Keynes General Hospital and the John Radcliffe Infirmary in Oxford.
Of the 33 passengers, most were reported to have suffered injuries. The most seriously hurt had broken bones, internal injuries and deep cuts.
Yesterday's accident comes eight months after three passengers died when a National Express double-decker also crashed on a motorway slip road. One passenger, Kirsty Plummer, from Luton, said: "I knew something was going to happen. The driver was swerving so I put my seat belt on.''
She said passengers who did not fasten their belts fell on top of her and were more seriously injured as the coach overturned. Eddie Gershon, a spokesman for Welcome Break, which operates the service station, said: "The coach went over on its side after hitting a lamppost and a tree, I've been told, and ended up in the car park.
"About a dozen staff from Newport Pagnell came out and gave initial first aid before the emergency services arrived.
"The driver was cut from the coach."
A spokesman for National Express said the coach was the 777 service travelling to Stansted, but the company had as yet no details of passengers' injuries.
In January a double-decker coach travelling from Heathrow airport to Glasgow overturned on the junction between the M4 and M25.
Christina Toner, 76, from Dundee, and a man thought to be in his late 20s died in the accident.
John Carruthers, 78, of Chertsey, Surrey, died six months later as a result of his injuries. Others, including young children, had limbs torn off as the coach skidded along the road.
Following the crash, the company temporarily withdrew its entire fleet of double-decker coaches for safety checks.
BBC website shows on 3rd September 2007...
Coach overturns in motorway crash
A coach has overturned at an M1 service area in Buckinghamshire leaving six people seriously injured.
The National Express bus, going from Birmingham to Stansted, clipped a kerb and rolled over at it entered Newport Pagnell services at 1600 BST.
There were 33 people on the coach, and 30 of them were hurt, Buckinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service said.
Thames Valley Police arrested the coach driver on suspicion of drink driving and dangerous driving.
A Highways Agency Spokesman said the M1 had not been closed.
The coach hit a lamppost and a tree as it overturned, said a spokesman for Welcome Break, which operates the service area.
First aid was given to casualties by staff members, he added.
Road and air ambulances have been at the scene and casualties were to two hospitals in Milton Keynes and Oxford. An air ambulance
has transported one casualty to hospital.
In a statement, National Express said the coach was the 777 service travelling from Birmingham to Stansted, with 33 passengers on board.
The coach left Birmingham at 1400 BST to go to Luton Airport and was to due arrive at Stansted Airport at 1755 BST. It had also stopped at Coventry.
I expect that the increasing number of accidents involving poorly qualified, vodka sodden, non-English drivers will soon concentrate the minds of potential passengers, who will avoid Nat Express like the plague, and the laws of the market place will prevail.
Emma Stone writes on 7th September 2007...
EIGHT people remain in hospital following a National Express coach crash involving passengers from Coventry earlier this week. Three patients, including a 28-year-old man from the city, are being treated at Northampton General Hospital.
The Coventry man, who is believed to be from the Willenhall area and suffered a cracked knee in the crash, is due to be discharged.
The 34-year-old driver from West Bromwich, who was arrested on suspicion of drink-drinking and dangerous driving, is in a stable condition and is being transferred to Sandwell General Hospital in West Bromwich.
He will not be questioned by police officers until he is discharged from hospital.
Two passengers are still being treated at Milton Keynes General Hospital and a further two are still at John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford.
A total of ten other passengers have now been discharged.
As reported in the Telegraph, a National Express coach which had picked up 12 passengers from Pool Meadow bus station in Coventry crashed at Newport Pagnell services in Buckinghamshire.
The accident happened when the coach clipped a kerb as it entered the services at about 4pm on Monday.
The single-decker coach then hit a lamppost and a tree as it rolled over.
The coach, carrying 33 passengers, was the 777 service from Birmingham to Stansted Airport.
Police are appealing for anyone who saw the coach travelling from Birmingham to contact them. They would also like to hear from anyone who witnessed the accident.
Call the 24-hour Police Enquiry Centre on 0845 8505 505.
Information can also be left anonymously with Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
to the regiment writes on 6th September 2007...
Yesterday, Monday 3 September - 9 months to-the-day since the last one, a National Express coach was involved in a serious accident as it entered the southbound Newport Pagnel service area, resulting in the coach hitting a kerb and tipping onto its offside, coming to rest with its front smashed into a lamp post and a tree.
The driver, whose surname I've already been able to glean thanks to contacts within the business, was not employed by National Express but buy a third-party operator called Veolia Birmingham. It wasn't too long ago that they'd taken over operation of this National Express Service 777 between Stansted Airport-Birmingham from another third-party operator called Birmingham Coach Company.
Initial reports on BBC News 24 cited 5 people had been seriously injured, the driver being one, and 45 walking wounded. This number has been reduced to a total on board of 33 passengers though 5 seriously injured remains the same.
The vehicle, a Scania/Irizar PB, registration YN55 PXC is a chassis and body combination that won Coach of the Year 2004 and was one of the type of vehicles National Express purchased for having the 'wow factor'.
Quite why the driver was putting into Newport Pagnel services is a mystery as, 300yds further down the M1, it had a timing point at Milton Keynes Coachway, which forms part of the J14 Interchange. The driver was arrested on suspicion of Drink Driving and Dangerous Driving at the scene, though presumably after he'd been cut free of his vehicle. A breath test is standard procedure at the scene of a collision, though to then be arrested as a result of this does imply that the driver was very much pissed.
This guy deserves what's coming to him. My mate and former colleague, 'Scarah', was sent to prison for 2 months following a succesful conviction of drink-driving and her vehicle hit nothing and injured nobody. Whilst a mechanical defect with the vehicle has still to be rulued out it does need mentioning I guess, though the fact that hundreds of similar vehicles operating up and down the motorways of the UK have not been taken off the road for safety inspections, would rule out mechanical problems.
One passenger told BBC news that the driver was very eratic and it had made her put her seatbelt on. Was he so pissed that he came off a shade too early and was greeted with the much sharper turn into Newport Pagnel services rather than the straight ascent to J14?
Express and Star newspaper website shows on 6th September 2007...
The National Express driver arrested on suspicion of drink driving after a coach crash on the M1, has been named as Les Weinburg from West Bromwich.
The 34-year-old was arrested after emergency services cut him free from the wreck of his upturned single decker coach on Monday.
The Birmingham to Stansted bus crashed after it allegedly clipped a kerb as Mr Weinburg drove into the Newport Pagnell service station, on the M1.
But his mum, 60-year-old Jane Weinburg, has denied he is a drinker.
Speaking at her Dudley home, she said: “I can’t believe that he would do anything that stupid. He knows that with a job like his you can’t drink.”
Kara Marchant writes on 6th September 2007...
A WOMAN from Worcester is one of eight people being treated in hospital after being involved in the Newport Pagnell coach crash. The 39-year-old passenger, whose name has not been released, suffered head injuries. She is being treated at the John Radcliffe II Hospital in Oxford. The coach overturned on a motorway services slip road on Monday injuring 30 people, six of them seriously. The National Express coach was travelling southbound on the M1 towards Stansted Airport when it overturned and rolled onto its side after clipping a kerb as it headed towards Newport Pagnell services just after 4pm.
The coach driver, a 34-year-old man, was arrested on suspicion of drink and dangerous driving, and is still being treated for arm and chest injuries in a Northampton hospital. Officers will not interview him until he is well enough. Thames Valley Police officers have now removed the coach from the scene of the accident and conducted a fingertip search of the area.
Thirty three people were on board the coach that left Digbeth in Birmingham before picking up at Birmingham International and Coventry. The injured, including six people with serious injuries, were taken to hospitals in Milton Keynes, Northampton and Oxford. A spokesman for National Express said they have a zero tolerance approach to alcohol or drug use by their drivers. Richard Bowker, chief executive of National Express said: "We would like to reassure our customers that their safety is of
paramount importance to us – we are obsessive and uncompromising about this. "We take a tough approach and have alcohol and drug policies which are more stringent than the legal requirement. We undertake random tests on drivers on a weekly basis as part of a wider driver assessment programme." He added: "Our thoughts are with those passengers who remain in hospital following yesterday’s accident."
Shropshire Star shows on 6th September 2007...
A Shropshire woman seriously hurt in a motorway coach crash was expected to undergo further surgery today.
The 45-year-old, from Church Stretton, suffered a dislocated elbow, dislocated shoulder and facial injuries when the National Express coach she was travelling on overturned near Newport Pagnell in Buckinghamshire.
The coach clipped a kerb, hit a lamppost and tree and overturned as it entered Newport Pagnell services on the M1 on Monday, en route from Birmingham to Stansted Airport in Essex.
There were 33 people on board at the time and 30 were hurt, including six seriously, including the Church Stretton woman.
The 34-year-old driver, from West Bromwich, who had to be cut free from the wreckage, was breath-tested at the scene and arrested shortly afterwards on suspicion of drink-driving and dangerous driving.
The Church Stretton woman is currently in Northampton General Hospital.
Thames Valley Police, which is investigating the accident, said today: “Her condition is fine and there are currently no plans to discharge her.”
The force said yesterday the woman, who has not been identified, was stable following an operation and was due to have further surgery today.
Alan Harris writes on 5th September 2007...
TWO passengers from Coventry and Warwickshire remain in hospital after a horrific coach crash on the M1, which injured more than 30 people. As reported in yesterday's Telegraph, a National Express coach which had picked up 12 passengers from Pool Meadow bus station in Coventry crashed at Newport Pagnell services in Buckinghamshire. Police have revealed that a 28-year-old man from Coventry suffered a cracked knee in the accident. He is among four patients, including one from France, who are still being treated at Northampton General Hospital. Eight others have now been discharged.
A 61-year-old man from Kenilworth suffered serious arm injuries, a broken pelvis and facial injuries. He is being treated with another injured passenger at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford. Two patients, from Australia and Poland, remain at Milton Keynes General Hospital. The accident happened when the coach clipped a kerb as it entered the services at about 4pm on Monday.
The single-decker coach then hit a lamppost and a tree as it rolled over. The coach, carrying 33 passengers, was the 777 service from Birmingham to Stansted Airport.
Kirsty Plummer, aged 16, from Luton, who joined the coach at Coventry, said she put her seat belt on after she noticed the coach seemed to be going fast. She said: "When we went over they had to kick the glass out to free us. Some of the people on board were badly injured. "I saw a man with blood pouring from his head."
Richard Bowker, chief executive of National Express, extended his sympathy to the injured passengers and said they were helping police investigate the crash. He added: "We would like to reassure our customers that their safety is of paramount importance to us - we are obsessive and uncompromising about this. Coach crashes are rare but we are never complacent and are focused on understanding what went wrong."
Police are appealing for anyone who saw the coach travelling from Birmingham to contact them. They would also like to hear from anyone who witnessed the accident. Phone the 24-hour Police Enquiry Centre on 0845 8 505 505. Information can also be left anonymously with Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
* The driver of the coach, aged 34, from West Bromwich, has been arrested on suspicion of drink-driving and dangerous driving.
He is being treated for arm and chest injuries. Thames Valley Police say he will be interviewed when he is well enough.
Northampton Chronicle and Echo shows on 5th September 2007...
M1 coach driver to face quiz
THE driver of a coach which overturned on a slip road off the M1 motorway at Newport Pagnell allegedly failed a breath test after being cut from the wreckage.
The 34-year-old, from West Bromwich, West Midlands, was arrested on suspicion of drink driving after his vehicle flipped over at about 4pm on Monday.
Officers are still waiting to speak to the driver, who was seriously injured in the crash, and is being treated at Northampton General Hospital.
Dozens of people were also injured, six seriously, when the single-decker overturned after hitting a kerb. Police have carried out a detailed investigation of the scene.
Richard Bowker of National Express, operators of the coach from Birmingham to Stansted Airport, said the firm was fully co-operating.
“To be even considered to drive for National Express you have to pass very rigorous tests and the recruitment test – particularly around drugs and alcohol – is very tough.”
BBC website shows on 4th September 2007...
Coach crash boss in safety claim
The owners of a coach which overturned on a slip road to services on the M1 are "obsessed" with safety, its chief executive has said.
Richard Bowker of National Express said drivers have to meet "tough standards" and pass random drink-drive tests.
Mr Bowker also said the firm was fully co-operating with police investigating the crash at Newport Pagnell, Bucks.
The driver of the coach, a 34-year-old man from West Bromwich, has been arrested on suspicion of drink-driving.
Thirty people were injured, including six who were seriously hurt, in the crash on Monday afternoon, as the coach travelling from Birmingham to Stansted airport entered the services on the southbound carriageway of the motorway.
Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Mr Bowker said: "To be even considered to drive for National Express you have to pass very rigorous tests and the recruitment test, particularly around drugs and alcohol, is very tough.
"Once you are driving for National Express then the standards to which you have to perform are higher in terms of drink than the legal requirement.
"We randomly test and that means that it is extremely likely that you will be caught at some point."
The single-decker coach clipped a kerb, hit a lamppost and a tree and toppled over on to the driver's side in the accident.
Police were called by service station managers and four ambulances went to the scene.
Driver breath-tested
The six with serious injuries were taken to hospitals in Milton Keynes, Northampton and Oxford.
Emergency services said 11 people, described as "walking wounded", suffered minor injuries and 17 were discharged at the scene.
The driver, who had to be cut free from the wreckage, was breath-tested at the scene and is now under arrest in hospital on suspicion of drink driving.
He is being treated for an injured arm and cracked ribs.
Three of his passengers are still being treated at Northampton hospital. They are a woman, 45, from Church Stretton near
Shrewsbury, Shropshire; a man, 60, from Goussanoville in France and a man, 28, from Coventry.
A woman, 57, from Victoria, Australia, and a man, 20, from Gdansk, Poland, are being treated at Milton Keynes General Hospital.
A further two passengers - a woman, 39, from Worcester and a man, 61, from Kenilworth, Warwickshire, are being treated at the JRII in Oxford.
Mr Bowker continued: "This is now a police investigation and obviously we need to learn the detail of this ourselves as quickly as possible.
"It is so incredibly rare for us to have an incident like this... travelling by coach is far, far safer than travelling by car - it was last week, it will be this week and it will be in the future."
The coach had left Birmingham at 1400 BST.
Laura May writes on 4th September 2007...
Six people were being treated in hospital last night and a driver was being questioned by police after a National Express coach
overturned on a motorway. The single-decker coach clipped a kerb, hit a lamppost and a tree and toppled over onto the driver's side as it entered Newport Pagnell services on the southbound M1.
Police were called by service station managers just after 4pm. Four ambulances went to the scene. Thirty people were injured and the six with serious injuries were taken to hospitals in Milton Keynes, Northampton and Oxford. Emergency services said 11 people, described as "walking wounded", received minor injuries and 17 were discharged at the scene.
The driver, who had to be cut free from the wreckage, was breath tested at the scene and arrested shortly afterwards on suspicion of drink-driving and dangerous driving.
A casualty bureau, for those who are concerned a relative or friend was on board, has been opened. The numbers are as follows: 0800 056 0146 or from outside the UK +44 20 7158 0198.
The M1 is still running smoothly, though there is no access to the services itself and investigators hope to remove the coach from the slip road during the night.
The bus left Birmingham Digbeth at 2pm bound for Stansted and Luton Airport. It stopped at Birmingham International at 2.20pm
and Coventry at 2.40pm and was due to arrive in Stansted Airport in Essex at 5.55pm. One of the passengers said the coach was "going fast round corners" before the crash. Kirsty Plummer, from Luton, told Sky News: "I knew something was going to happen, the
driver was swerving so I put my seat belt on." She said other passengers who did not fasten their seat belts fell on top of her as the coach overturned and were more seriously injured.
Eddie Gershon, a spokesman for Welcome Break, which operates the service station, said: "The coach went over on its side after hitting a lamppost and a tree, I've been told, and ended up in the car park. "About a dozen staff from Newport Pagnell came out and gave initial first aid before the emergency services arrived."
A spokeswoman for Thames Valley Police said: "It appears that shortly after 4pm the National Express coach clipped a kerb and rolled on to its side."
Superintendent Mick Doyle told Sky News the driver was breath tested at the scene and found to be over the legal limit for driving.
The Times prints on 4th September 2007...
A coach driver was arrested on suspicion of drink driving after his bus overturned on a slip road, injuring more than 30 people, six seriously.
The National Express coach crashed as it entered the Newport Pagnell station on the M1, in Buckinghamshire. Jaiden McClaine, 15, of Birmingham, said: “As we went round the corner into the services the coach went right up in the air and turned over. Passengers were shouting and screaming.”
Eddie Gershon, of Welcome Break, which operates the service station, said: “The coach went over on its side after hitting a lamppost and a tree and ended up in the car park.” Police said that the driver of the coach – the 777 from Birmingham to Luton and Stansted airports – was arrested on suspicion of dangerous and drink driving after being breathalysed at the scene.
South Central Ambulance said that many of the coach’s 33 passengers suffered multiple fractures, serious internal injuries and deep lacerations.
Raj Bagna, who witnessed the crash, said: “There was blood everywhere. People had injuries to their arms, knees and legs.”
Three people died in January after a National Express coach overturned on a slip road.
Ben Farmer writes on 4th September 2007...
The driver of a National Express coach was arrested last night on suspicion of drink and dangerous driving after his vehicle flipped over at a motorway service station.
Dozens of people were injured, six seriously, when the single-decker overturned after hitting a kerb on a slip road off the M1. The accident happened as the coach, which was travelling between Birmingham and Stansted Airport, Essex, pulled into the Newport Pagnell Services, Bucks.
The driver had to be cut free from the wreckage by fire crews after being trapped behind the wheel. Helicopter air ambulances ferried the most seriously injured to hospital.
An ambulance service spokesman said they had been taken to Milton Keynes General Hospital and the John Radcliffe Infirmary in Oxford.
Of the 33 passengers, most were reported to have suffered injuries. The most seriously hurt had broken bones, internal injuries and deep cuts.
Yesterday's accident comes eight months after three passengers died when a National Express double-decker also crashed on a motorway slip road. One passenger, Kirsty Plummer, from Luton, said: "I knew something was going to happen. The driver was swerving so I put my seat belt on.''
She said passengers who did not fasten their belts fell on top of her and were more seriously injured as the coach overturned. Eddie Gershon, a spokesman for Welcome Break, which operates the service station, said: "The coach went over on its side after hitting a lamppost and a tree, I've been told, and ended up in the car park.
"About a dozen staff from Newport Pagnell came out and gave initial first aid before the emergency services arrived.
"The driver was cut from the coach."
A spokesman for National Express said the coach was the 777 service travelling to Stansted, but the company had as yet no details of passengers' injuries.
In January a double-decker coach travelling from Heathrow airport to Glasgow overturned on the junction between the M4 and M25.
Christina Toner, 76, from Dundee, and a man thought to be in his late 20s died in the accident.
John Carruthers, 78, of Chertsey, Surrey, died six months later as a result of his injuries. Others, including young children, had limbs torn off as the coach skidded along the road.
Following the crash, the company temporarily withdrew its entire fleet of double-decker coaches for safety checks.
BBC website shows on 3rd September 2007...
Coach overturns in motorway crash
A coach has overturned at an M1 service area in Buckinghamshire leaving six people seriously injured.
The National Express bus, going from Birmingham to Stansted, clipped a kerb and rolled over at it entered Newport Pagnell services at 1600 BST.
There were 33 people on the coach, and 30 of them were hurt, Buckinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service said.
Thames Valley Police arrested the coach driver on suspicion of drink driving and dangerous driving.
A Highways Agency Spokesman said the M1 had not been closed.
The coach hit a lamppost and a tree as it overturned, said a spokesman for Welcome Break, which operates the service area.
First aid was given to casualties by staff members, he added.
Road and air ambulances have been at the scene and casualties were to two hospitals in Milton Keynes and Oxford. An air ambulance
has transported one casualty to hospital.
In a statement, National Express said the coach was the 777 service travelling from Birmingham to Stansted, with 33 passengers on board.
The coach left Birmingham at 1400 BST to go to Luton Airport and was to due arrive at Stansted Airport at 1755 BST. It had also stopped at Coventry.
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