Bus crash injures 7
- 00:01:11
- ITN
Bus crash injures 7
At least six Royal Marines and the driver of the coach they were travelling in have been injured following an accident on icy roads. A total of 29 troops, from 42 Commando in Plymouth, were heading for RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire before flying out to Afghanistan. Their coach skidded and ploughed into a snow-filled ditch before hitting a tree. The driver, a 39-year-old man from Plymouth, is being treated at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital for serious injuries, believed to be head wounds, following the crash on the A40 at Puesdown. Six Marines, aged between 20 and their mid-30s, were taken to Cheltenham General Hospital with what police described as "relatively minor" injuries, including cuts and bruises. The injuries to three of the men on the coach were originally assessed as critical by ambulance staff whio had been called to the scene. Gloucestershire Police received reports of more than 60 accidents between 10pm last night and 9am this morning, due to the icy conditions. A Gloucestershire County Council spokeswoman confirmed that the road was gritted twice overnight. Five schools were closed or partially closed in the county due to the icy conditions. Ministry of Defence spokesman Paul Leat said: "We can confirm that there was a road traffic accident in Gloucestershire earlier this morning involving one civilian coach carrying 29 Royal Marines. "There were no fatalities. Six Royal Marine personnel are being treated at a local hospital. Five of these are due to be discharged later today and will then return to their unit. "We are awaiting a further update on the condition of the remaining Royal Marine following a hospital check-up. "The families of those injured in this incident have been informed. The unit involved was 42 Commando, based in Plymouth, and the personnel were en route to Brize Norton." An ambulance spokesman said: "Clearly these are both very serious incidents with multiple patients injured - and occurring within a few miles of each other have resulted in us dispatching considerable resources. "Crews from ambulance stations across Gloucestershire have responded, while we have also dispatched crews from our Avon sector. "Reports from our control room say that the roads in the area are treacherously icy, which could well have contributed to both these incidents."
ITN | February 11, 2009
