A school bus driver has been jailed for three years after crashing into a railway bridge in Winchester, causing three children to suffer life-changing injuries. The double-decker bus, carrying 74 pupils, had its roof ripped off in the collision on Wellhouse Lane on 10 September 2020.
Martin Walker, 37, admitted three counts of causing serious injury by dangerous driving. Winchester Crown Court heard he mistakenly believed the bus would fit under the bridge. Three children required surgery and 38 others sustained minor injuries.
In a victim statement read out in court, one of the injured children described the crash's lasting impact: 'The roof being ripped off, the darkness, the flying glass and the sound of people screaming is something I'll never forget.'
The court heard that Walker, who worked for Stagecoach, had learning difficulties and was unfamiliar with the route. Defence barrister Neil Fitzgibbon said training notes recorded Walker's 'poor planning, confusion over left and right' and noted he needed 'constant reminders of basic elements of his job'.
Passing sentence, Judge Angela Morris told Walker he had 'acted without any regard for your young and vulnerable cargo' and that it was 'only by sheer good fortune no-one was killed or lost limbs'. She added that he did nothing to help the injured children after the crash.
Walker was also disqualified from driving for three years and will have to take an extended driving test before being allowed back on the road.
