A Newcastle family had a 'lucky escape' after a bus flipped in a crash during their now 'ruined' holiday to Turkey. Christopher Halford was left 'shell-shocked' by the incident, which took place on his first family trip abroad with his wife and two young sons.
Crash details
Chris, of Kenton, along with wife Lucy, eight-year-old Harvey and six-year-old Toby, arrived at Eftalia Blue Hotel in the Alanya area late on Sunday night. On an excursion to the nearby mountains on Tuesday, their trip was plunged into chaos. Chris said: 'There were three families on the bus and we joined a convoy of around eight vehicles altogether. The point of the excursion being to have water fights with each other. For that reason, the buses didn't have windows, and were Safari-style with roll cages, and my family did have seatbelts.'
'All of the buses travelled in a line, and sometimes one would pull out to the side and we would all shoot water at the others. After a stop for lunch and a boat ride, we got back on the buses and continued like that, and that is when things changed for us completely.'
Moment of impact
'It felt like our front wheel went off the road and then the whole bus followed. We were hurtling on the gravel and the bus was jumping all over the place, and I noticed a ginormous tree which it felt like we were about to hit. The bus went over, the next thing I know, we were lying there on the side of the bus with our seatbelts holding us up. From what the people on the other buses told me, we must have flipped around three or four times. It was a very scary moment and I just wanted to make sure that my family were safe.'
Chris told ChronicleLive of dramatic scenes as fellow tourists ran over to help rescue those on board. Among those injured was a young girl trapped under the bus. 'We then realised that a girl from another family, she must have only been around 12 or 13, was pinned under the bus. Around 30 of us helped to lift it back onto its wheels to free her.'
Aftermath and impact
At the hotel, Chris and Lucy watch from the side of the pool as their sons try to enjoy what's left of the trip. The crash has put a serious stain on their first international trip as a family of four. Reflecting, Chris said: 'Me and my wife are quite battered and bruised, and I have a swollen ankle which I am struggling to walk on. The lads are both fine but have a few cuts, and as far as we are aware, the girl is still in hospital with a broken family, along with the rest of her family.'
'Looking back, I just feel like it could have been so much worse. There was a steeper drop which we luckily didn't reach. We had other trips planned as part of the holiday which all had to be cancelled as we can't do them now. The boys are absolutely terrified, and clinging to us, but we are trying our best to make the most of it all. The experience has ruined our holiday, but we are ultimately just grateful that it didn't turn out even worse.'
