bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-bi … m-19635293
Without knowing any facts and not wishing to be disrespectful towards the dead driver, surely some blame lays with the lorry driver for hitting the stationary vehicle as well as the bus driver for stopping in a live lane?? I assume the bus was driveable or else he would not be charged if had broke down??
Unlit bus stationary in thick fog in a live lane in roadworks with the possibility there was traffic alongside you in lane 2 … What would you have done?
(if you’re able to read and post a link to the BBC website, I’m sure you’re able to Google ‘M5 Bus crash’ and furnish yourself with some facts before making a statement on here)
extrucker:
Coach driver, 50, charged over M5 death crash - BBC NewsWithout knowing any facts and not wishing to be disrespectful towards the dead driver, surely some blame lays with the lorry driver for hitting the stationary vehicle as well as the bus driver for stopping in a live lane?? I assume the bus was driveable or else he would not be charged if had broke down??
Here’s a witness who was on the coach who says it had broken down and would not start?
telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/ … coach.html
Derf, the only TRUE facts are in the Police Collision Investigation report, not someone else’s perception, which is why I stated that I know no facts. If the driver was in thick fog and collided with something in his lane, he was driving too fast for the conditions?? If the bus had broke down, why is that driver being charged? I am not critiscising either driver, just asking people’s views.That is why this is called a forum.
Sad thing indeed but if you “breakdown” you don’t stop on a motorway live lane in fog. Unless u have massive mechanical failure, hard shoulder is the place to make for.
extrucker:
Derf, the only TRUE facts are in the Police Collision Investigation report, not someone else’s perception, which is why I stated that I know no facts. If the driver was in thick fog and collided with something in his lane, he was driving too fast for the conditions?? If the bus had broke down, why is that driver being charged? I am not critiscising either driver, just asking people’s views.That is why this is called a forum.
having been involved in a fatal rtc a few years ago, i’d say you’ll never know the real truth. what happened as i remembered (and photographed!) was nothing like what was in the police report. in their report a car was squished by an artic, but not a mark on it in my pics
What some people don’t realise was that the bus was stationary in the live lane for nearly 15 mins before the truck hit it, if you break down then fair enough, you cant help that but what you don’t do is put your passengers at risk by letting them sit there for 15 mins. As a bus driver you are responsible for the safety of your passengers, if i broke down in lane 1 the first thing i would do is get out the vehicle and get everyone on the verge.
I can totally understand the truck hitting it, thick fog, early morning, those old service buses have ■■■■ poor lighting. You might see the vehicle looming out of the fog but you wouldn’t expect it to be stopped, by the time you did it may be too late.
As for those saying the truck driver was going too fast for the conditions, how fast we he going? How fast should you go? Where do you draw the line? Drive along a motorway at 20mph in case a stationary vehicle appears?
When I took my PSV years ago, it was simple.
Hazards on, get on hard shoulder.
Able bodied off, any disabled folks get them down the front ASAP.
Unless as has been said a very serious mech malfunction, it should be possibly to get a stricken vehicle on to the shoulder even if in lane 2 but we weren’t there driving this bus.
Does anyone know why it failed?
If the bus driver was driving in thick fog there is every possibility he was driving at a sensible speed ~20-30mph so would have allot less time to coast if the vehicle failed especially if it was slightly up hill, also you can loose 10 or 15mph before realising whats actally happend so I dont think he can nececerilly be blamed for not getting to the hard shoulder, there may have been company policy about not letting passengers off the bus and waiting for help you dont know
The one thing that is certain is that there is NO reason the artic driver should have hit that bus, there is absulutly no excuse for colliding with a stationary vehicle fog or no fog, if it meens slowing down to 10mph then thats what he should have done, if sompthing ahd run into the back of him it would be far worse then him running into the back of the bus also its not like he only hit it at a few mph looks like he was going at a fair speed
I once drove a bus over a junction on a dual carriageway.Suddenly a brake hose or pipe broke instantly lost all air.The bus was just clear of the junction but there was no way that it would move.Lets not be judgemental,we could all be involved in a tragedy at any time.
As far as I remember from variuos reports (not substantiated)…
The bus’ failure included no/dim lights.
There were roadworks taking up at least the h/s.
There was thick fog.
It was at least 15 minutes between the bus stopping and the collision.
Several motorist rang the police to report the bus in that 15 minutes.
IMO the driver should’ve got everyone off the bus, donned his hi-viz and gone at least a hundred metres (safely behind the barrier of course) to the rear and tried warning traffic of an obstruction or at least delegated someone. Those deaths & injuries were almost entirely preventable so the charges are appropriate.
What if the people wont get off the bus?Then who is to blame.The pictures show a decrepit old wreck the driver could say Im not taking it out ,then he loses his job in the real world economic climate.
A few years ago, I was heading north on the M6 near the tickle trout.
It was lashing it down, Daylight but more like dusk, Really horrible.
Two car drivers were having a bit of a road rage incident, They were arguing that much that they ended up stopping.
One was in lane one, The other was straddling lanes one and two. They were about three quarters down the hill, and i was at 44 tons with a lot of momentum pushing me down the hill.
I indicated to pill out, The lorry next to me anchored on, But i already decided that it was too late and headed for the hard shoulder.
I missed the car in lane one by just a few feet. I can still see the kids frightened face like it was yesterday.
If i’d have ploughed into the back of either one of these cars, The lot of them would have been dead.
But by the looks of things, I’d have been the one facing charges.
…