Coach driver arrested after M5 crash.

[G-CPTN]

the coach had broken down on the motorway minutes before the accident.

From:- http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-17500107

More here:- http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-17497711

[G-CPTN]

These pictures suggest it was a bus, not a coach:- http://www.metro.co.uk/news/894101-m...nd-coach-smash

I heard a witness suggest that it was stationary in the carriageway (not the hard shoulder) with only hazard flashers, not fog-guard lamps. even though it was foggy.

[G-CPTN]

A 49-year-old bus driver from Birmingham has been arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving.
The single decker bus was not fitted with seatbelts.

From:- http://www.itv.com/news/story/2012-0...-3-junction-4/

[G-CPTN]

'At 6.12am a 999 call was made by a concerned member of the public about a coach having broken down on lane one of the M5 south.
'The Highways Agency did the appropriate signage on the network and dispatched their resources to the scene of the broken down coach as is normal practice.
'However, unfortunately at 6.24 hours a further call was received to say that a large goods vehicle had collided into the rear of the coach.
'Central Motorway police officers were immediately dispatched and arrived at the scene six minutes later.

From:- http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...coach-fog.html

If they had appreciated the danger of the situation and deployed the Police immediately after the earlier 999 call they might have avoided the crash (or become involved in it!).

Sounds like the bus 'failed to proceed' with the driver attempting to restart it whilst stationary in lane 1.

Edited to add (from above):-

The coach involved in the crash carried a logo of the company Stagecoach, but a spokesman for the firm said it had been sold to a dealer 18 months ago.
going from the Birmingham area to a place of work.

[Mr Scammell]

Question asked at my PCV test in 1986, "what would you do if your bus broke down in the middle lane of a motorway" Answer is "get help as soon as possible". I only got it correct as another driver was asked the same question on his test and failed. His answer was get your passengers off the bus to safety before a truck turned the rear of the bus into a garage. Not really sure what is right but it would seem bus driver doing it by the book. Accident occured 12 minutes after 999 call was logged, how many vehicles passed safely before the collision?

[G-CPTN]

Just heard that the passengers were fruit pickers en-route to Evesham.

[G-CPTN]

Truck driver dies:- http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-17504353

[TRAMPER]

R.I.P driver and condolances to his family and friends

[coastie]

Originally Posted by TRAMPER

R.I.P driver and condolances to his family and friends

Hear hear.

[Mr Scammell]

Originally Posted by TRAMPER

R.I.P driver and condolances to his family and friends

Very sorry to hear this news.