2010 A66 Keswick coach accident
Encyclopedia
On Monday, 24 May 2010, a Honda Civic collided with a coach carrying children home from Keswick School
on the A66 road in Cumbria
, United Kingdom
. Three people were killed and four were left seriously injured. Approximately thirty people sustained less severe injuries. The accident occurred very near Keswick in an accident hotspot.
, Cumbria, UK. Eyewitnesses reported that the accident happened in a "hollow". Witnesses told the BBC that it was a "notorious spot" for accidents.
and Whitehaven
. The accident happened at 1547hrs BST. The collision resulted in the two vehicles involved overturning.
teams, fire tenders, fire officers' cars, police
vehicles, six road emergency ambulances and some non-emergency ambulances, doctors' cars, two air ambulances and four RAF rescue helicopters. The injured people were taken to Middlesbrough, Newcastle and Preston A&E departments. The first receiving hospital was West Cumberland. A Red Cross assistance centre was opened in the nearby Braithwaite School where first aid and emotional support was provided. The A66 was closed by police until 0300hrs BST the next day (Tuesday, 25 May 2010). The diversion route was from the Crosthwaite roundabout via A591 to Bothel and on the A595 to Cockermouth.
was responsible for the main text of many reports.
, assigned Chief Superintendent Steve Johnson to the case. He said that the children in the minibus following the coach "went straight to the aid of their friends and colleagues and did an incredible job." The minibus was also carrying Keswick School students.
A memorial service was held on 30 June at Crosthwaite Church at Keswick to celebrate the lives of the deceased.
Cash raised at the event, held at Hensingham Rugby League Club, will go towards a bench in memory of 15-year-old Kieran, who died in the Keswick bus crash.
On 24 May 2011, there was a planned anniversary ceremony at the school to commemorate the tragic events of the previous year.
Keswick School
Keswick School is an 11–18, Voluntary Aided, co-educational school. It retains a traditional atmosphere, including speech days, prefects and Head Boys and Girls and has selected the most appropriate of the educational initiatives on offer in the last decade...
on the A66 road in Cumbria
Cumbria
Cumbria , is a non-metropolitan county in North West England. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local authority, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. Cumbria's largest settlement and county town is Carlisle. It consists of six districts, and in...
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. Three people were killed and four were left seriously injured. Approximately thirty people sustained less severe injuries. The accident occurred very near Keswick in an accident hotspot.
Location
The crash occurred on the A66 near Bassenthwaite Lake. This is a location near KeswickKeswick, Cumbria
Keswick is a market town and civil parish within the Borough of Allerdale in Cumbria, England. It had a population of 4,984, according to the 2001 census, and is situated just north of Derwent Water, and a short distance from Bassenthwaite Lake, both in the Lake District National Park...
, Cumbria, UK. Eyewitnesses reported that the accident happened in a "hollow". Witnesses told the BBC that it was a "notorious spot" for accidents.
Circumstances
The accident happened when a coach swerved to avoid a car coming in the opposite direction on the lane of the road that the coach was travelling upon. This is a WS2 highway in highway engineering terms - it consists of two lanes on a carriageway, with one carrying traffic in each direction. The car, a grey Honda Civic, was on the wrong side of the road when it collided with the coach causing it to overturn. Three people - the Honda Civic's male driver, one male teenager and one female teenager - died. Many people were left with injuries - besides four seriously injured people, 25 were treated in hospital (with 10 retained overnight, 9 retained over two nights and the rest assessed and released). The coach was a 49-seater vehicle operated by J B Pickthall, and was transporting 35 schoolchildren home from school to CockermouthCockermouth
-History:The Romans created a fort at Derventio, now the adjoining village of Papcastle, to protect the river crossing, which had become located on a major route for troops heading towards Hadrian's Wall....
and Whitehaven
Whitehaven
Whitehaven is a small town and port on the coast of Cumbria, England, which lies equidistant between the county's two largest settlements, Carlisle and Barrow-in-Furness, and is served by the Cumbrian Coast Line and the A595 road...
. The accident happened at 1547hrs BST. The collision resulted in the two vehicles involved overturning.
The legality of overtaking at the crash site
The lane markings shown in images published of the crash site do not prohibit overtaking. The car travelling on the coach's side of the road would have been undertaking a legal manoeuvre if it had been safe to overtake and it was doing so. See rule no. 165 of the UK Highway Code. The outcome of the inquest was that the likelihood is that the Honda driver had fallen asleep at the wheel and the deaths were the "result of a tragic accident".Emergency response
A number of local residents and school children were the first on scene to give assistance, followed by multiple emergency services' personnel and vehicles, including mountain rescueMountain rescue
Mountain rescue refers to search and rescue activities that occur in a mountainous environment, although the term is sometimes also used to apply to search and rescue in other wilderness environments. The difficult and remote nature of the terrain in which mountain rescue often occurs has resulted...
teams, fire tenders, fire officers' cars, police
Police
The police is a personification of the state designated to put in practice the enforced law, protect property and reduce civil disorder in civilian matters. Their powers include the legitimized use of force...
vehicles, six road emergency ambulances and some non-emergency ambulances, doctors' cars, two air ambulances and four RAF rescue helicopters. The injured people were taken to Middlesbrough, Newcastle and Preston A&E departments. The first receiving hospital was West Cumberland. A Red Cross assistance centre was opened in the nearby Braithwaite School where first aid and emotional support was provided. The A66 was closed by police until 0300hrs BST the next day (Tuesday, 25 May 2010). The diversion route was from the Crosthwaite roundabout via A591 to Bothel and on the A595 to Cockermouth.
Media coverage
The event received immediate and widespread media coverage, in video, text and image formats. The Press AssociationPress Association
The Press Association is the national news agency of the United Kingdom and Ireland, supplying multimedia news content to almost all national and regional newspapers, television and radio news, as well as many websites with text, pictures, video and data content globally...
was responsible for the main text of many reports.
Names of the deceased
The day after the crash (Tuesday, 25 May 2010), the national media announced the names of two of those killed in the accident.- Chloe Walker (16 years old), a passenger on the coach, who was celebrating her 16th birthday on the day of the accident. A student.
- Kieran Goulding (15 years old), also a passenger on the coach. A student.
- Patrick Short (68 years old), the driver of the Honda Civic. A charity worker.
Counselling
Counselling services, including educational psychologists, were provided at the school where the pupils on the coach attended (Keswick School). Michael Chapman, the headteacher of the school, said staff and pupils were "devastated" and "shocked", highlighting the need for support.Police commendation
The local police force, Cumbria ConstabularyCumbria Constabulary
Cumbria Constabulary is the territorial police force in England covering Cumbria. It is currently the fifth-largest force in England and Wales in terms of geographic area but one of the smallest in terms of officer numbers. Given the force area's size and population of just under 500,000, it is...
, assigned Chief Superintendent Steve Johnson to the case. He said that the children in the minibus following the coach "went straight to the aid of their friends and colleagues and did an incredible job." The minibus was also carrying Keswick School students.
Ongoing medical attention
On Wednesday, 26 May 2010, 9 students (two of whom were seriously injured) were still in hospital. The driver was kept in hospital for one night.Tributes
A special commemorative school assembly was held on the day following the accident (Tuesday, 25 May 2010). Cumbria Constabulary advised people not to leave floral tributes at the scene of the accident (probably to prevent pedestrians from being hit by traffic).A memorial service was held on 30 June at Crosthwaite Church at Keswick to celebrate the lives of the deceased.
Cash raised at the event, held at Hensingham Rugby League Club, will go towards a bench in memory of 15-year-old Kieran, who died in the Keswick bus crash.
On 24 May 2011, there was a planned anniversary ceremony at the school to commemorate the tragic events of the previous year.