Bus roof ripped off after crashing into railway bridge (From Daily Echo)
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Bus roof ripped off after crashing into railway bridge in Portchester
10:20am Monday 28th January 2013 in News
The bus after its roof was ripped off by a bridge in Portchester.
A bus has had its roof torn off after hitting a railway bridge in Hampshire.
The accident at Portchester Railway station this morning is the second time in five months a bus has hit the bridge.
Emergency services attended the scene and Station Road was closed.
Fire crews were called to the incident on Hill Road, in Portchester, just after 9.35am this morning.
A Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service spokeswoman said the bus was empty apart from the driver as it was not in service at the time.
The 45-year-old driver has been given first aid and oxygen by firefighters at the scene.
Fire engines, three from Cosham, one from Portchester and one from Fareham, werer called to the incident.
Passenger Victoria Mullins was on a train travelling from Southampton Central to London Victoria via Portchester Station.
She said: “We slowed to a halt and the train guard advised that we were to be delayed due to 'a road vehicle striking the railway bridge'.
“We were held at Portchester Station and I could see the station guard on the phone whilst looking down towards the bus stuck under the bridge.”
She said fire engines appeared to be trying to winch the bus out.
When the train was given the all clear to proceed she said she could see that “the bus roof had been totally ripped off, revealing the upper deck seats completely”.
Police said they had been called to reports of a First double decker bus colliding with the bridge at Portchester Station, with witnesses saying it had lost its roof.
Road closures have been put in place at Station Road North at the junction of Kelvin Road and also the crossway with Station Road.
Recovery is being arranged for the vehicle.
A Network Rail spokesman said there was a reduced service on the line for around half an hour while a precautionary check was carried out but there were no concerns about the structural safety of the bridge, which carries the railway line over the road.
As a result trains between Southampton Central station and Portsmouth Harbour and Havant could be delayed by up to 30 minutes while the service resumes normally.
It comes just five months after a similar incident happened at the bridge.
In September an out-of-service First Group bus was being driven on the A27 at Portchester when it too got stuck under the bridge.
No one was hurt in the crash which which lead to the road being shut and train services suspended.
Network Rail have already carried out an inspection of the bridge and deemed it to be safe following the crash.
Rail services are now free to use the line at full speed.
A First Hampshire and Dorset spokesperson said the exact circumstances of the collision were as yet unclear but were being thoroughly investigated. "Thankfully the vehicle was not in service at the time of the incident, so while the bus has been badly damaged there were no recorded injuries as a result of the collision,” she said.
"We are as concerned by this incident as we suspect other local people will be. The exact cause of it is being investigated and the appropriate action will be taken as a result.
“It is too early to speculate as to what the outcome of the investigation will be. "In relation to the previous incident, the cause of that was determined to be human error and the appropriate action was taken as a result.
"As a company we take the safety of our staff, customers and other road users extremely seriously.
“Incidents such as this are rare and it is unusual for two similar incidents to happen in the same place."
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Comments(58)
smiler52
says...
10:42am Mon 28 Jan 13
freefinker wrote:maybe but the trains firms are reporting delays Owing to a vehicle striking a bridge between Fareham and Cosham
"It comes just five months after the same incident happened at the bridge."
Er? Same incident?
Eric_Cartman
says...
10:43am Mon 28 Jan 13
freefinker wrote:It says 'similar incident'.
"It comes just five months after the same incident happened at the bridge."
Er? Same incident?
freefinker
says...
11:42am Mon 28 Jan 13
Eric_Cartman wrote:.. ah, it does now, but it didn't previously.
freefinker wrote:It says 'similar incident'.
"It comes just five months after the same incident happened at the bridge."
Er? Same incident?
kingnotail
says...
11:48am Mon 28 Jan 13
Stillness
says...
11:52am Mon 28 Jan 13
spotburst
says...
11:53am Mon 28 Jan 13
madge731933
says...
12:14pm Mon 28 Jan 13
AndyAndrews
says...
12:18pm Mon 28 Jan 13
derek james
says...
12:23pm Mon 28 Jan 13
Stillness
says...
12:29pm Mon 28 Jan 13
derek james wrote:Ever thought of finding yourself a life?
some of these are caused by the drivers not being able to read the height restriction signs (in feet?) , throw in some east european bus drivers and it becomes obvious
derek james
says...
12:31pm Mon 28 Jan 13
Stillness wrote:trying to educate ingnoramuses like yourself is my goal
derek james wrote:Ever thought of finding yourself a life?
some of these are caused by the drivers not being able to read the height restriction signs (in feet?) , throw in some east european bus drivers and it becomes obvious
mack chinnon
says...
12:33pm Mon 28 Jan 13
S Pance
says...
12:34pm Mon 28 Jan 13
-stiv-
says...
12:34pm Mon 28 Jan 13
freefinker wrote:Quantum entanglement?
"It comes just five months after the same incident happened at the bridge."
Er? Same incident?
Stillness
says...
12:46pm Mon 28 Jan 13
derek james wrote:If you had the intelligence of an amoeba you would have noticed in the photograph that the height is also shown in metres. I think that perhaps you should spend a bit more time on your own education. Then again maybe you know a lost cause when you see one.
Stillness wrote:trying to educate ingnoramuses like yourself is my goal
derek james wrote:Ever thought of finding yourself a life?
some of these are caused by the drivers not being able to read the height restriction signs (in feet?) , throw in some east european bus drivers and it becomes obvious
Hampshire Corn and Bread
says...
12:48pm Mon 28 Jan 13
-stiv- wrote:Ouch, just Wiki'd Quantum entanglement & now my brain hurts. Thanks though; very interesting.
freefinker wrote:Quantum entanglement?
"It comes just five months after the same incident happened at the bridge."
Er? Same incident?
bernard7
says...
1:13pm Mon 28 Jan 13
Missdoyle
says...
1:17pm Mon 28 Jan 13
Linesman
says...
1:27pm Mon 28 Jan 13
spotburst wrote:Ducking under Wayne Bridge?
Didn't Roger Moore do this in a Bond film?
Linesman
says...
1:31pm Mon 28 Jan 13
derek james wrote:In that case, you may start by commencing the sentence with a capital letter, and a couple of commas would not go amiss, plus a fullstop at the end.
Stillness wrote:trying to educate ingnoramuses like yourself is my goal
derek james wrote:Ever thought of finding yourself a life?
some of these are caused by the drivers not being able to read the height restriction signs (in feet?) , throw in some east european bus drivers and it becomes obvious
That is my attempt to aducate an ignoramus like yourself.
Have a nice day, and thank you for reading the Daily Echo.
Linesman
says...
1:32pm Mon 28 Jan 13
Linesman wrote:I have spelt one word incorrectly, so that you can show everyone that can make a smartarse comment.
derek james wrote:In that case, you may start by commencing the sentence with a capital letter, and a couple of commas would not go amiss, plus a fullstop at the end.
Stillness wrote:trying to educate ingnoramuses like yourself is my goal
derek james wrote:Ever thought of finding yourself a life?
some of these are caused by the drivers not being able to read the height restriction signs (in feet?) , throw in some east european bus drivers and it becomes obvious
That is my attempt to aducate an ignoramus like yourself.
Have a nice day, and thank you for reading the Daily Echo.
insane saint
says...
1:43pm Mon 28 Jan 13
HerbertC
says...
1:53pm Mon 28 Jan 13
bazzeroz
says...
2:32pm Mon 28 Jan 13
Brite Spark
says...
2:48pm Mon 28 Jan 13
Mary80
says...
3:16pm Mon 28 Jan 13
CHARLIE TAYLOR
says...
3:45pm Mon 28 Jan 13
Niel
says...
3:46pm Mon 28 Jan 13
S Pance wrote:To ASSume in this case would prove the rule it makes an **** of you. The footbridge over the railway provides that viewpoint...
the prictures taken from the bridge itself, I assume the photographer had permission to be trespassing on the railways?
Stillness
says...
3:46pm Mon 28 Jan 13
Mary80 wrote:I think you may find that there is something in the driving test about hazard awareness.
Drivers should be made aware of bridges they cant go under he's so lucky he didnt kill somebody
loonaloop
says...
4:09pm Mon 28 Jan 13
Brite Spark
says...
4:11pm Mon 28 Jan 13
nedscrumpo
says...
4:31pm Mon 28 Jan 13
derek james
says...
5:07pm Mon 28 Jan 13
Stillness wrote:if he took his test in eastern europe there is probably no such thing
Mary80 wrote:I think you may find that there is something in the driving test about hazard awareness.
Drivers should be made aware of bridges they cant go under he's so lucky he didnt kill somebody
get a life stillness!
Fatty x Ford Worker
says...
5:27pm Mon 28 Jan 13
Donald2000
says...
5:37pm Mon 28 Jan 13
madge731933 wrote:Which part of "There were no passengers on board" did you fail to understand?
Sorry but he should loose his job! He could of killed passengers!
Stillness
says...
6:16pm Mon 28 Jan 13
derek james wrote:You poor sad old person. Do you really still think of Europe as "that place over there"? My local pub is run by a couple from "Eastern Europe" and at least they know about capital letters and punctuation. They have a far better grasp of the English language than you do. Then again I guess that they have an unfair advantage over you as they have each got a brain with more than one working cell. Go find a time machine and travel back 30 years of so. It's the only way you will ever be happy.
Stillness wrote:if he took his test in eastern europe there is probably no such thing
Mary80 wrote:I think you may find that there is something in the driving test about hazard awareness.
Drivers should be made aware of bridges they cant go under he's so lucky he didnt kill somebody
get a life stillness!
Hove Ex-Pat
says...
6:23pm Mon 28 Jan 13
derek james wrote:But this bridge is clearly marked in metric as well as feet & inches. This bridge is nearly three feet lower than the height of the bus. If they hit it a third time do they get to keep the bridge?
some of these are caused by the drivers not being able to read the height restriction signs (in feet?) , throw in some east european bus drivers and it becomes obvious
Hove Ex-Pat
says...
6:29pm Mon 28 Jan 13
loonaloop wrote:The bus is only 14' 6", NOT 21 foot high.
This beggars belief how, how, how would a trained bus driver be so dim as to not be aware that a 21 foot tall vehicle cannot pass under a 9 foot bridge. (shakes head in disbelief) He should be a MP.
The bridge is 11' 9" NOT 9 foot.
Stillness
says...
6:29pm Mon 28 Jan 13
Hove Ex-Pat wrote:Save your keyboard Hove. derek (with a small "d") has trouble with English.
derek james wrote:But this bridge is clearly marked in metric as well as feet & inches. This bridge is nearly three feet lower than the height of the bus. If they hit it a third time do they get to keep the bridge?
some of these are caused by the drivers not being able to read the height restriction signs (in feet?) , throw in some east european bus drivers and it becomes obvious
bullsbags
says...
7:38pm Mon 28 Jan 13
Blakey won't be a happy bunny
Lord Ikea
says...
7:57pm Mon 28 Jan 13
Stillness
says...
8:31pm Mon 28 Jan 13
S Pance wrote:What is a "pricture"?
the prictures taken from the bridge itself, I assume the photographer had permission to be trespassing on the railways?
freefinker
says...
8:48pm Mon 28 Jan 13
-stiv- wrote:Excellent, virtual brownie point.
freefinker wrote:Quantum entanglement?
"It comes just five months after the same incident happened at the bridge."
Er? Same incident?
derek james
says...
9:16pm Mon 28 Jan 13
Stillness wrote:a pricture is you stillness, only with a k not a cture on the end and for your information my wife is east european, i have been to russia, lithuania , czech republic, bulgaria and poland so i've nothing against east europeans, in fact i prefer them to shall we say uk people.i have another theory they don't have double deckers in eastern europe so they probably forget and think they're at home.anyway i have wasted enough of my valuable time conversing with a moron so i shall not be posting any more today.i do know when o use capital letters but i do not have the time to press the key
S Pance wrote:What is a "pricture"?
the prictures taken from the bridge itself, I assume the photographer had permission to be trespassing on the railways?
dolomiteman
says...
9:24pm Mon 28 Jan 13
Stillness wrote:Not only that but the height warning in the bus cab will also be in both and why the racist slur when tehd river has not been named
derek james wrote:If you had the intelligence of an amoeba you would have noticed in the photograph that the height is also shown in metres. I think that perhaps you should spend a bit more time on your own education. Then again maybe you know a lost cause when you see one.
Stillness wrote:trying to educate ingnoramuses like yourself is my goal
derek james wrote:Ever thought of finding yourself a life?
some of these are caused by the drivers not being able to read the height restriction signs (in feet?) , throw in some east european bus drivers and it becomes obvious
dolomiteman
says...
9:33pm Mon 28 Jan 13
HerbertC wrote:Weight limits do not apply to buses unless it is a weak bridge limit. and for your information a double decker when unladen weighs......... 7.5T.
Doesn't really surprise me. In Southampton, "out of service" First buses regularly ignore 7.5T limits on roads which they use as shortcuts to the new bus depot. My understanding is that the 7.5T exemption for public service vehicles was for when they were on scheduled routes, not for providing short cuts back to base when the bus is empty. I assume First don't give any guidelines to their drivers about routes when they're not in service.
If buses did exceed that weight limit how would 'not in service' buses get to their routes start point?
If you have a problem with buses using you road as a rat rn then contact the bus operator and for the record no I'm not bus driver with any local operator.
hedge end bob
says...
9:39pm Mon 28 Jan 13
Lord Ikea wrote:THAT.
What if this poor driver spends his whole working life on this route, day in and day out, but in a single decker. Then one day his bus will not start and the only bus in the yard is a double decker. It is the same licence to drive both. Of course the single decker fits under the bridge day in and day out. Today, however, he is in a rush because of the breakdown and crash. No excuse of course, but a probable reason.
Donald2000
says...
10:50pm Mon 28 Jan 13
Lord Ikea wrote:The height and width limit are specified within the cab of every PCV. As a qualified driver you are required to know both each and every time you drive, so no, there is no reason for crashing a 14ft6in vehicle into a 11ft9in bridge.
What if this poor driver spends his whole working life on this route, day in and day out, but in a single decker. Then one day his bus will not start and the only bus in the yard is a double decker. It is the same licence to drive both. Of course the single decker fits under the bridge day in and day out. Today, however, he is in a rush because of the breakdown and crash. No excuse of course, but a probable reason.
The driver concerned did not ask himself the fundamental question about whether or not the said vehicle would fit under the bridge.
Either way I would hazard a guess that he is a candidate for the Jobcentre quite soon.
dolomiteman
says...
11:03pm Mon 28 Jan 13
loonaloop wrote:A 21 foot tall vehicle, bloody hell most bus are 14'6" or thereabouts. I have never seen a 21 foot tall bus was it a special edition?
This beggars belief how, how, how would a trained bus driver be so dim as to not be aware that a 21 foot tall vehicle cannot pass under a 9 foot bridge. (shakes head in disbelief) He should be a MP.
I
Ginger_cyclist
says...
12:28am Tue 29 Jan 13
dolomiteman wrote:Must be talking about the triple decker that featured in Harry Potter.
loonaloop wrote:A 21 foot tall vehicle, bloody hell most bus are 14'6" or thereabouts. I have never seen a 21 foot tall bus was it a special edition?
This beggars belief how, how, how would a trained bus driver be so dim as to not be aware that a 21 foot tall vehicle cannot pass under a 9 foot bridge. (shakes head in disbelief) He should be a MP.
I
Ginger_cyclist
says...
12:40am Tue 29 Jan 13
bernard7 wrote:The "pillars" that hold the roof up are at most made of 3mm thick sheet metal, the corners are a bit thicker to add strength and to stop the roof moving, it's also the corners that give the main support, that thin sheet metal and glass will easily peel off if it hits a large, low and heavy, immovable object such as a low bridge, though why the driver didn't stop as soon as he heard and felt the initial impact is beyond me because what if someone was behind him not knowing the bus wouldn't fit?
What's the speed limit down there? Must have been going quite quick to rip pretty much the whole roof off? Unless it does just come off that easily!
bustard
says...
7:27am Tue 29 Jan 13
freefinker wrote:There are far too many of these extremely rare incidents......
"It comes just five months after the same incident happened at the bridge." Er? Same incident?
bustard
says...
7:33am Tue 29 Jan 13
dolomiteman wrote:There was a 21foot tall bus in a Harry Potter film...... IGMC. :o)
loonaloop wrote: This beggars belief how, how, how would a trained bus driver be so dim as to not be aware that a 21 foot tall vehicle cannot pass under a 9 foot bridge. (shakes head in disbelief) He should be a MP.A 21 foot tall vehicle, bloody hell most bus are 14'6" or thereabouts. I have never seen a 21 foot tall bus was it a special edition? I
OSPREYSAINT
says...
9:40am Tue 29 Jan 13
andyp44
says...
11:09am Tue 29 Jan 13
freefinker wrote:Its alright Firstbus will probably give them a nice new bus and send the rubbish to Dorset as a single decker.
"It comes just five months after the same incident happened at the bridge."
Er? Same incident?
Whiteley Man
says...
11:25am Tue 29 Jan 13
dolomiteman
says...
4:34pm Tue 29 Jan 13
OSPREYSAINT wrote:They will have no choice other to sack him, stricking a bridge in this manner is dangerous driving (the bridge was well signed and there would be height warning signs in the cab) so he will receive a driving ban if found guilty. when his ban is served no bus company will employ him due to the perceived increased insurance risk.
I expect the Company to be ruthless with the driver?
freefinker says...
10:34am Mon 28 Jan 13
Er? Same incident?