A single-decker Go North East bus crashed into a family's front garden in County Durham on the morning of July 19, causing extensive damage but no serious injuries. Claire Read, 41, had just gotten out of bed at around 9:30am when she heard a 'huge crash' and rushed outside to find the bus had ploughed through her garden wall, toppling trees and a football goal used by her two children.
Driver believed to have suffered medical episode
It is believed that the bus driver experienced a medical episode, causing the vehicle to swerve off Chester Road East and into Claire's property on Hilltop in Stanley. The bus had reportedly gone through traffic lights, hit a traffic island, and veered into the garden. Claire, a welfare advisor, told ChronicleLive: 'I was just getting up because we were going out and I heard a bang, I thought it was thunder at first. When it hit the tree behind the house, it made a horrendous noise and we heard people shouting. Then we just saw a bus on the drive.'
Emergency response and passenger injuries
Emergency services arrived at the scene, and the fire service helped extract the driver from the vehicle. There were approximately 10 passengers on the bus. One person was taken to University Hospital North Durham, though it remains unconfirmed whether this is the driver. Claire noted that the driver was clearly in need of assistance: 'It was genuinely awful, the whole windscreen had come through. I had no shoes on and my husband had to bring them out because of the glass. It was very obvious that the driver had a medical event.'
Family's shock and 'what if' reflections
Claire, who lives with her husband Peter and sons Charlie (13) and Freddie (9), expressed relief that no one was seriously hurt. She said: 'Hopefully the driver is okay, property can be replaced but lives can't. There's a hell of a lot of damage, but I'm not mad about it, these things happen.' However, she admitted the incident was frightening: 'It's been a bit of a stressful morning, I'm fine now but it's been a bit of a shock.' She added: 'What could have been, the kids are always outside. The football goal is completely trashed so it's just the "what if".'
Fire service statement
A spokesperson for County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service (CDDFRS) said: 'County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service was called to a road traffic collision involving a bus on the A693, Stanley, after the vehicle left the carriageway. There were concerns that the driver may have suffered a medical episode prior to the collision. One crew from Consett and one crew from High Handenhold attended the incident and worked alongside ambulance and police colleagues, providing assistance at the scene and assessing those involved. The Service left the scene at 11:15 hrs.'
