Coach Crash Near Heathrow
05 January 2007, 02:20 PM
#32
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Just emailed to me by a colleague at TVP
Police investigating the fatal coach collision on the slip road of the M4/M25 are appealing for the public’s help in trying to identify one of the victims.
Extensive inquires have been made over the past 24 hours; however officers have so far been unable to formally identify the dead man or contact his next of kin.
The man, a passenger on board the double-decker National Express coach that crashed on Wednesday, is oriental, in his mid 20s, between 5ft 6ins and 5ft 8ins, with short black hair at the sides and longer on top. At the time of the collision, the man was wearing a string necklace with two fish-type emblems.
Ch Insp Gill Wootton, senior investigating officer, said: “Despite extensive inquiries, we have at this time been unable we have not been able to identify this man.
“The man has nothing on him to positively identify him apart from some pictures which may possibly be of him; however we cannot be certain at this time.
“The man’s family may live abroad and inquiries are at this time being made with other forces nationally.”
She added: “I would ask anyone who recognises this description or has a missing loved one who resembles this man to contact us immediately.”
Twenty five people remain in hospitals in Thames Valley and the London area, with 10 seriously injured following Wednesday’s collision. The majority remain at Hillingdon Hospital.
The investigation into the collision, in which two people died, continues with officers taking various statements from passengers and key witnesses.
The driver of the coach was released on police bail this morning (5/1) pending further inquiries.
If you have any information regarding the collision or information which may help police formally identify the man, please contact the incident room via the 24 hour Police Enquiry Centre number on 0845 8 505 505. If you do not wish to speak to police or leave your name please contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
Extensive inquires have been made over the past 24 hours; however officers have so far been unable to formally identify the dead man or contact his next of kin.
The man, a passenger on board the double-decker National Express coach that crashed on Wednesday, is oriental, in his mid 20s, between 5ft 6ins and 5ft 8ins, with short black hair at the sides and longer on top. At the time of the collision, the man was wearing a string necklace with two fish-type emblems.
Ch Insp Gill Wootton, senior investigating officer, said: “Despite extensive inquiries, we have at this time been unable we have not been able to identify this man.
“The man has nothing on him to positively identify him apart from some pictures which may possibly be of him; however we cannot be certain at this time.
“The man’s family may live abroad and inquiries are at this time being made with other forces nationally.”
She added: “I would ask anyone who recognises this description or has a missing loved one who resembles this man to contact us immediately.”
Twenty five people remain in hospitals in Thames Valley and the London area, with 10 seriously injured following Wednesday’s collision. The majority remain at Hillingdon Hospital.
The investigation into the collision, in which two people died, continues with officers taking various statements from passengers and key witnesses.
The driver of the coach was released on police bail this morning (5/1) pending further inquiries.
If you have any information regarding the collision or information which may help police formally identify the man, please contact the incident room via the 24 hour Police Enquiry Centre number on 0845 8 505 505. If you do not wish to speak to police or leave your name please contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
05 January 2007, 02:44 PM
#33
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Originally Posted by SiPie
Trust me, these coaches were seriously shifting...........rattling about etc, seriously scary and I assure you it was a hell of a lot more than 62mph 
No limiters on these coaches...no way
This was in 1987/88...any ideas?
No limiters on these coaches...no way
This was in 1987/88...any ideas?
scary when you think of it aint it thats why limiters were put on,
think if this guy was speeding and the law had not had come in he may have needed heathrow to book him a landing slot .........
05 January 2007, 06:38 PM
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The man, a passenger on board the double-decker National Express coach that crashed on Wednesday, is oriental, in his mid 20s, between 5ft 6ins and 5ft 8ins, with short black hair at the sides and longer on top. At the time of the collision, the man was wearing a string necklace with two fish-type emblems.
05 January 2007, 11:27 PM
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Originally Posted by GrahamG
All i know is that it was bloody windy, if there were no others involved he must of been speeding....
I drive in around the junction in which the accident happened, as you come of the M4 you go up the slip road and steer right going back over the M4 to come up on the inside of the M25. If wind was a factor then he'd have been blown over as he crossed the M4 [which is a fair height as it's above the M4 & 25], from what the papers are saying the coach was at the point where the west and east bound slip roads of the M4 meet to join the M25, no matter how fast the coach was going, even if the wind affected the coaches handling i doubt it would have made it as far as the join.
On the radio a passenger if i remember rightly commented how the driver was going to fast for the road, and before the accident doubted 'they were going to make the turn'. It then went on two wheels before toppling.
Bit long winded sorry
05 January 2007, 11:51 PM
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Originally Posted by Swen6
no matter how fast the coach was going, even if the wind affected the coaches handling i doubt it would have made it as far as the join.
at 62mph on its side (no brakes at all and all flat metal on the side) plus the fact the coach was a min of 20-22tons i think it would take a long time to stop along a wet smooth tarmac surface.
why do you think so many lost limbs..
and the driver they interviewed on tv saying that they didnt get any training was prob telling the truth too,
but a 47 year old has brains and dont need a training lesson to know that a coach is limited to 62mph for ideal conditions not for 70-80mph winds/rainy nights,
06 January 2007, 08:25 PM
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06 January 2007, 08:34 PM
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Reminds me of about 8 years ago when a few of us were out on the pis$ in Bristol, and we got on the last bus home in the bus station, and this guy staggers on and gets in the driving seat - same guy we had just seen propping up the bar in the last pub we'd been to - we thought he was just having a laugh but it was the driver!!
Bus drives home at about 20mph down semi rural roads with 50limits - bouncing off curbs etc!!! Found it pretty funny at the time, but could have been a serious accident! Driver was totally wasted
Bus drives home at about 20mph down semi rural roads with 50limits - bouncing off curbs etc!!! Found it pretty funny at the time, but could have been a serious accident! Driver was totally wasted
07 January 2007, 01:11 AM
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your luck you got a driver in bristol after dark at all fella,
after all the storys ive heard from there,
lol....
TDT nice bit of kit isnt it ( if its driven by a profesional ) they cost anything from £280k + depending on spec..
after all the storys ive heard from there,
lol....
TDT nice bit of kit isnt it ( if its driven by a profesional ) they cost anything from £280k + depending on spec..
07 January 2007, 09:28 AM
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A far cry from the RouteMaster I did my PCV in many moons ago! I knew coaches were expensive but £280k?!?
Glad I don't pay the insurance premium on one of them!
Glad I don't pay the insurance premium on one of them!
07 January 2007, 09:35 AM
#42
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I have used these 5-6 times in the last year between Heathrow and MK
all but one of the drivers was courteous and drove with consideration for other drivers and his passengers.
However, i had one who drove like a idiot, he was aggressive, swearing from time to time and locked up his brakes on several occaisions, nearly rearending a lorry in roadworks!
It only takes one!
I did think about reporting this bloke, but, i had just travelled for 13 hours and was back with my family for the first time in 9 weeks so had other priorities and forgot about it.
sympathies to the familes and people involved in the terrible crash.
all but one of the drivers was courteous and drove with consideration for other drivers and his passengers.
However, i had one who drove like a idiot, he was aggressive, swearing from time to time and locked up his brakes on several occaisions, nearly rearending a lorry in roadworks!
It only takes one!
I did think about reporting this bloke, but, i had just travelled for 13 hours and was back with my family for the first time in 9 weeks so had other priorities and forgot about it.
sympathies to the familes and people involved in the terrible crash.
07 January 2007, 09:49 AM
#43
I remember a van driver back in my airfreight days, used to be a coach driver and told me about the Leyland 'Tiger' which was apparently the Veyron of 1970's public service vehicles, could get near a ton and was capable of massive oversteer.
07 January 2007, 12:51 PM
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I used to have a Leyland Tiger Cub to transport my racing car. It was 1953 reg and had a crash box with a two speed electric rear axle. It was great fun to drive but was not very fast and you could calculate your arrival time pretty accurately at an average of 40mph. It was the first bus to have a flat on its side underfloor engine. Happy days! 
Les
Les
07 January 2007, 01:42 PM
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i done mine 8 years ago in an old ford/duple that was on its last legs lol...
yeah there not cheap to buy and people complain about paying £10 for a return trip to london ???????? theres no educating pork as they say lol....
i got a fleet policy on 6 coaches ranging from a 1988 to 5 1995 coaches and it costs over £15K (plus side i got the scooby on there too hehe)
07 January 2007, 02:02 PM
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yeah there not cheap to buy and people complain about paying £10 for a return trip to london ????????
I've just looked at the National Express website, and it's quoted me £19 single to Aberdeen. £400k worth of coach (there are 2 of them on that run), a maximum of 138 seats, even if you round it up to £25 a seat, thats only £3450 revenue. A 480bhp, 12 speed lump of metal that's got a max weight of 24t isn't going to to more than about 10 to the gallon. Then there's 2 drivers. Unless I'm missing something there can't be much money in it!
i got a fleet policy on 6 coaches ranging from a 1988 to 5 1995 coaches and it costs over £15K (plus side i got the scooby on there too hehe)
Last edited by TDT; 07 January 2007 at 02:04 PM.
07 January 2007, 02:24 PM
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megabus have got the same neoplan deckers as in the crash down our way
but the have just had a delivery date of march for 15 brand new 15meter single deckers..... expect a lot of accidents in the city centres thease coaches go in to......12mtr is bad enough to drive around london .......
my two volvo vanhool coaches do about 8mpg and there single decker
so i cant see them neoplans doing more than 8 too with the newer tech, etc fitted to them.
the other thing with timetabled routes is that if they dont run to time or run at all they get huge fines so its cheaper to run a coach at cost than to not run at all.....
but the have just had a delivery date of march for 15 brand new 15meter single deckers..... expect a lot of accidents in the city centres thease coaches go in to......12mtr is bad enough to drive around london .......
my two volvo vanhool coaches do about 8mpg and there single decker
so i cant see them neoplans doing more than 8 too with the newer tech, etc fitted to them.
the other thing with timetabled routes is that if they dont run to time or run at all they get huge fines so its cheaper to run a coach at cost than to not run at all.....
07 January 2007, 02:36 PM
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I thought MegaBus were using the old Oxford Tube deckers. IIRC they were all M plates and had done about 900k +
Mercifully I had just finished a tour of lates and was on a rest day when this collision occurred as chances are I would have been out that way on my way home at around that time. Some of my boys who went out to help across the border have remarked how nasty it was. Lets face it, when something that big has a moment, it's going to be a fairly large moment!
I remember when Red Ken introduced the Merc bendy buses in town, we had something like a 200 fold increase in collisions involving buses coz people didn't understand how the things move when they turn. I must admit when they let me have a go in one it felt very strange.
Mercifully I had just finished a tour of lates and was on a rest day when this collision occurred as chances are I would have been out that way on my way home at around that time. Some of my boys who went out to help across the border have remarked how nasty it was. Lets face it, when something that big has a moment, it's going to be a fairly large moment!
I remember when Red Ken introduced the Merc bendy buses in town, we had something like a 200 fold increase in collisions involving buses coz people didn't understand how the things move when they turn. I must admit when they let me have a go in one it felt very strange.
Last edited by TDT; 07 January 2007 at 02:38 PM.
07 January 2007, 02:48 PM
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when they started the megabus swansea-london they had 7 or 8 old (1991/2)
layland deckers ex,hong kong buses and a few still go out when the neoplans are in the garage the neoplans this way are about 2 year old now and were brand new but that was because the route was so popular and the laylands are to old for the long no-stop parts of the run,
mega bus this way also went out and bought 8 brand new trailers to go behind the laylands then found out that old 2 drivers had the right licence to drive with them so there sat in the corner of there yard wasting away.....
layland deckers ex,hong kong buses and a few still go out when the neoplans are in the garage the neoplans this way are about 2 year old now and were brand new but that was because the route was so popular and the laylands are to old for the long no-stop parts of the run,
mega bus this way also went out and bought 8 brand new trailers to go behind the laylands then found out that old 2 drivers had the right licence to drive with them so there sat in the corner of there yard wasting away.....
07 January 2007, 07:13 PM
#52
Things I learnt today.
Buses have a 35 degree fully laden tip angle - by law.
A coach is limited to 62mph but if you put a restrictor (58mph) in it, it becomes a bus!
The probable reason for most people being severely injured in this crash and possibly the deaths, is that they weren't wearing their seat-belts.
Buses have a 35 degree fully laden tip angle - by law.
A coach is limited to 62mph but if you put a restrictor (58mph) in it, it becomes a bus!
The probable reason for most people being severely injured in this crash and possibly the deaths, is that they weren't wearing their seat-belts.
07 January 2007, 07:26 PM
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well hard luck to them. Makes me laugh all the people who still dont understand why they must be used. prince william can be found most times in cars not wearing one (Same for his girlfriend) now you would have thought he would know better.
07 January 2007, 09:34 PM
#54
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i have to tell 50 kids twice a day to put there belts on.....
as soon as i pull off you can hear them undoing them..
even wrote letters to the parents threatening to have the worste kicked off
did it make any differance
NOPE.......
the law states that anyone over 14 must where a seatbelt ( but get this if they stand up and walk down the isle they are not breaking the law beacause they are not in there seat ????? )
it is my (as an operator)duty to inform my passengers by pictogram or audio or visual anoncement that they must wear one. but if they dont its on there head be it...........
anyone under 14 is not covered in the above for "legal implications" ??????
08 January 2007, 04:35 PM
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and the sick jokes have started,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
nationall express have now changed there fair pricing,
journeys will now coast an arm and a leg and sandwiches are being replaced by rolls.............................
no doupt there will be alot more soon............
its sick but then so are most jokes.......
nationall express have now changed there fair pricing,
journeys will now coast an arm and a leg and sandwiches are being replaced by rolls.............................
no doupt there will be alot more soon............
its sick but then so are most jokes.......
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