A major incident was declared after a double-decker bus carrying 70 workers to Hinkley Point C overturned on the A39 near Bridgwater on Tuesday morning (January 17th).
No-one died in the crash but multiple people were injured, said Police who added that it was too soon to say if their injuries are life-changing.
Emergency services, including an air ambulance, attended the A39 Quantock Road, near Cannington, at around 6am after the bus overturned following an incident involving motorcyclist in icy road conditions.
Inspector Rebecca Wells Cole from Avon and Somerset Police said there had been no fatalities but 54 people were triaged at the scene.
While 26 people are being treated as “walking wounded”, police confirmed a number of others were taken to Southmead Hospital in Bristol and Musgrove Hospital in Taunton as well as Bridgwater Minor Injuries Unit.
Insp Wells Cole added: “The incident was initially declared as a major incident due to the number of people involved and the resources required. This has since been stood down.”
A spokesperson on behalf of the NHS in Somerset said: “Following an incident at around 6am on the A39 Quantock Road, the NHS in Somerset has been working closely with local emergency organisations and other relevant agencies involved to coordinate a response.”
“As of 3pm today, 27 patients were treated at the Minor Injuries Unit in Bridgwater and a further 26 were treated at the Emergency Department at Musgrove Park Hospital for injuries consistent with a serious traffic collision. A small number require surgery and some have been admitted to inpatient wards. A further three patients were taken to Southmead Hospital, Bristol, where they received treatment, but none have needed to be admitted to hospital.”
“We would like to thank all our colleagues, (including those who came in on their day off) as well as the emergency services who have been involved and supporting today and we wish all patients involved a speedy recovery.”
Somerset Council says it gritted the road the night before the crash, but those living near to the accident site say surface water has caused problems there for years as it turns to ice.
Charis Ware, whose house overlooks the crash site, said she first heard shouting and screaming at around 6am.
“The road runs along our back garden so I looked out my top window and could see lots of vehicles and people running around,” she said. “Then the emergency services started coming onto the scene. It was frightening, really frightening because it was so close.”
She said she doesn’t feel roads in the area of safe, adding: “The surface water has been a problem since we’ve lived here, so four years, especially on that certain bend in the road. When it ices like this it’s just dangerous.”
Bridgwater MP Ian Liddell-Grainger added: “Obviously it was a terrifying experience for everyone on that bus and my thoughts are with them and their families.”
“But we absolutely must get to the bottom of why this crash occurred because EDF is very conscious of the need to maintain the highest safety standards for the protection of their workers – and that concern naturally extends to those periods when they are being transferred to and from the site.”
“I am aware police have been reporting a high number of accidents in the area this morning, all of them blamed on icy road conditions. We need to establish as soon as we can whether similar circumstances played a role in this particular event.”
Police warned about “extremely icy and dangerous” conditions following overnight freezing temperatures. Avon and Somerset Police said dozens of crashes were reported to them across the region.
