Eight individuals have been admitted to the hospital after the top of a double-decker bus was removed during a collision with a railway bridge.
Emergency responders swiftly arrived at the location in Kilmarnock, East Ayrshire, following the occurrence shortly before 2 p.m. on Thursday.
Images captured at the site reveal the upper deck of the Stagecoach bus fully exposed, as the mangled roof was left on the nearby roadway.
Officers from Scotland confirmed that eight people were transported to the hospital following the incident, clarifying that no instances of ‘serious injuries’ have been reported.
A schoolboy seated on the upper deck recounted that the bus was traveling ‘quite swiftly’ prior to colliding with the bridge, leading him to feel ‘shock’ in the aftermath of the crash.
‘It’s obvious that we couldn’t go under it. Passengers seemed forewarned, as if they all sensed the impending incident,’ he told STV.
‘It just suddenly crashed into the bridge, and the entire roof came off. There was a really prolonged, crashing noise.’
The boy mentioned he was left ‘covered in shards of glass’ post-collision, stating that most of his fellow passengers were adolescents.
‘As I descended the stairs, there was blood all over the handrails and a boy being examined by the paramedics,’ he recounted.
‘There were about 11 of us on the upper deck, all teenagers. I didn’t notice anyone older than us.’
‘I spoke with the police, was checked out by the paramedics, and called my mum who came to pick me up. Thankfully, I was okay.’
This incident follows closely after another double-decker First Bus struck a railway bridge in Glasgow the previous Saturday evening, resulting in multiple injuries.
A 60-year-old man was critically injured and transported to the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in the city during the weekend.
A 52-year-old woman, along with five males aged 30, 32, 41, and two aged 33, were also taken by ambulance to the same facility for treatment of minor injuries, all of whom were later discharged.
A representative from the Scottish Ambulance Service stated, ‘We received a call at 1:55 p.m. regarding an incident on Culzean Crescent, Kilmarnock.’
‘One ambulance and three special operations response teams were sent to the site, and four patients were conveyed to University Hospital Crosshouse.’
A statement from Police Scotland disclosed, ‘Officers were alerted to a collision involving a double-decker bus on Culzean Crescent in Kilmarnock around 1:55 p.m. on Thursday, December 19, 2024.’
‘Eight passengers were transported to the hospital. Fortunately, there are no reports of serious injuries.’
‘Investigations into the crash are underway. The road was reopened at approximately 5:30 p.m.’
ScotRail indicated that no train services had been affected by the incident.
Network Rail mentioned that specialized engineers evaluated the structure following the occurrence.
A spokesperson stated, ‘The bridge did not suffer any structural damage due to the collision.’
A Stagecoach West Scotland spokesperson confirmed, ‘We can verify there was an incident involving one of our buses in Kilmarnock.’
‘The 6 service, which operates from Kilmarnock Bus Station to New Farm Loch, encountered a low bridge.’
‘Investigations are ongoing, and we are collaborating closely with Police Scotland.’
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