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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Coach survivor 'saved by window' | Coach survivor 'saved by window' |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| A passenger who survived the National Express crash has described how she was flung across the coach as it slid on its side. | A passenger who survived the National Express crash has described how she was flung across the coach as it slid on its side. |
| Jean Cornwall said she escaped with only whiplash injuries after landing on her back on the double decker's window. | |
| She said she was saved because the safety glass remained intact. | |
| Two people died and 23 are seriously ill after the crash on an M25 slip road near Heathrow. The coach driver was arrested and later released on bail. | |
| Ms Cornwall, from Australia, said as the Neoplan Skyliner vehicle came to rest she was left bearing the weight of a man who was bleeding from a large head wound. | |
| Ms Cornwall said: "The clothes that I had on were really quite hideous - they'll have to be thrown away - they were really quite hideously stained with his blood." | Ms Cornwall said: "The clothes that I had on were really quite hideous - they'll have to be thrown away - they were really quite hideously stained with his blood." |
| I had a man on top of me - he was resting his head in my stomach area, and his head was bleeding quite copiously Jean Cornwall | I had a man on top of me - he was resting his head in my stomach area, and his head was bleeding quite copiously Jean Cornwall |
| She was travelling to Kintyre in Scotland with her 19-year-old daughter Kathy, who lives in London. | She was travelling to Kintyre in Scotland with her 19-year-old daughter Kathy, who lives in London. |
| The pair were on the upper deck of the bus along with 65 other passengers as it set off from London Victoria on Wednesday night. | The pair were on the upper deck of the bus along with 65 other passengers as it set off from London Victoria on Wednesday night. |
| However, less than two hours later, the coach went out of control on the slip road. | However, less than two hours later, the coach went out of control on the slip road. |
| She said: "I didn't have a seatbelt on and somehow or other I landed on my back on the window on the right hand side of the bus. | She said: "I didn't have a seatbelt on and somehow or other I landed on my back on the window on the right hand side of the bus. |
| "I must have hit the window at the same time that the bus hit the pavement because I landed on my back on that window but I didn't go through and it was actually the safety glass which cushioned me against the sliding. | "I must have hit the window at the same time that the bus hit the pavement because I landed on my back on that window but I didn't go through and it was actually the safety glass which cushioned me against the sliding. |
| 'Could not see' | 'Could not see' |
| "The bus then proceeded to slide along the road before it came to a halt. It was actually that window that saved me from getting well shredded. | "The bus then proceeded to slide along the road before it came to a halt. It was actually that window that saved me from getting well shredded. |
| "I could feel scraping along the road. I was aware from before the bus came to a halt there was shouting and panicking ... it seemed quite dark. | "I could feel scraping along the road. I was aware from before the bus came to a halt there was shouting and panicking ... it seemed quite dark. |
| "I actually had some baggage over my face that I wasn't aware that it was baggage... I was just aware that I couldn't see anything. | |
| Chris Toner, who died in the accident | Chris Toner, who died in the accident |
| "I couldn't move I was pinned down. I had a man on top of me - he was resting his head in my stomach area, and his head was bleeding quite copiously." | "I couldn't move I was pinned down. I had a man on top of me - he was resting his head in my stomach area, and his head was bleeding quite copiously." |
| "The clothes that I had on were really quite hideous - they'll have to be thrown away - they were really quite hideously stained with his blood." | "The clothes that I had on were really quite hideous - they'll have to be thrown away - they were really quite hideously stained with his blood." |
| As well as the 67 passengers, there were two drivers on board the service. | As well as the 67 passengers, there were two drivers on board the service. |
| Chris Toner, 76, from Monifieth, near Dundee, was one of those killed in the crash. A three-year-old boy and a baby girl are being treated at St Mary's Hospital in London after losing limbs. | |
| Coaches withdrawn | Coaches withdrawn |
| National Express, which has withdrawn its 12 double-decker coaches from service, said there was no suggestion of any stability problem with the coaches at this stage. | National Express, which has withdrawn its 12 double-decker coaches from service, said there was no suggestion of any stability problem with the coaches at this stage. |
| Stagecoach said it was carrying out "precautionary checks" on all 50 Neoplan Skyliner vehicles in its fleet following the crash. | |
| It runs a fleet of 25 of the vehicles on its Oxford Tube service to London and on the company's inter-city coach service megabus.com. | |
| Paul Bunting, National Express chief executive, said: "As a precautionary measure, we felt it necessary to temporarily withdraw the fleet as soon as possible. | Paul Bunting, National Express chief executive, said: "As a precautionary measure, we felt it necessary to temporarily withdraw the fleet as soon as possible. |
| Tilt test | Tilt test |
| "We will ensure this process is thorough and comprehensive as part of our commitment to passenger safety." | |
| The Neoplan Skyliner has, by law, been fitted with a speed limiter restricting it to 62mph and all the ones owned by National Express have seatbelts fitted. | |
| All double-decker vehicles undergo Department for Transport safety tests to show they can tilt 28 degrees with the top deck full and the bottom deck empty, without tipping over. | |
| In 2003, 28 people died when a similar double-decker coach overturned in France. | In 2003, 28 people died when a similar double-decker coach overturned in France. |
| The coach involved in the M4 incident has been moved to a garage in Oxfordshire where it will be examined by accident investigators. | The coach involved in the M4 incident has been moved to a garage in Oxfordshire where it will be examined by accident investigators. |
| Police have confirmed no other vehicle was involved. | Police have confirmed no other vehicle was involved. |