COVENTRY MESSAGE BOARD

Crashed Bus Causes Problems

Anyone planning on going through Town tonight is advised to expect delays in Coventry City centre after a bus crashed into a pawnbrokers opposite Sainsburys.

Bus crashes into Coventry city centre pawnbrokers shop



Three people have been injured after a bus crashed into a shop in Coventry city centre.

The single-decker bus went into a pawnbrokers in Trinity Street shortly before 15:00 GMT.

An eyewitness said the bus had been in a collision with a taxi shortly before crashing into the shop.

The bus driver was taken to hospital but two other people were treated at the scene. Emergency staff said it was a miracle more people were not injured.

The road has been closed and emergency services are at the scene.

A West Midlands Ambulance Service spokesman said: "The male driver of the bus had chest pains and was taken to University Hospital Coventry and Warwickshire for further assessment and treatment.

"Two women passengers from the taxi were assessed by ambulance crews and discharged at the scene."

'Taxi side-swiped'

One of the passengers on the bus, Jake Mitchell, said the vehicle seem to be accelerating before the crash.

Mr Mitchell said: "You could feel the clutch coming up quite fast. He [the driver] pulled away trying to dodge the other buses and side-swiped the taxi that was coming up from the right.

"[It] carried on going into the pawnbrokers and just didn't seem to stop.

"There was a door at the back that I opened and then as soon as I got out I starting helping others out."

Tim Parsons, from West Midlands Fire and Rescue Service, said it was a miracle more people were not injured.

He said: "There's been a search of the area for any further casualties, which it's been confirmed there aren't, so we're in the process now of waiting for a structural engineer just to confirm the premises are safe.

"Police can then look at the removal of the vehicle and the boarding up of the shop.

"I would imagine it could be quite some time before the cordons are lifted."

The bus was the X17 service operated by Stagecoach between Coventry and Warwick.

Looting after bus crashes into Coventry pawnbrokers

Looters rushed to grab jewellery after a bus crashed into a pawnbrokers in Coventry, according to eyewitnesses.

Three people were injured when the single-decker bus went into the shop in Trinity Street just before 15:00 GMT.

Bus passenger Zoe Frost said looting began immediately and she was pushed aside as people went for the valuables.

"They wanted to get the gold and jewellery out of the shop window and where it had fallen onto the ground," she said.

A West Midlands Police spokeswoman appealed for any witnesses to the crash and alleged looting to contact them.

Ms Frost said: "One gentleman shoved me out the way... not in the rush to help the people which you'd think would be their reaction.

"The man who pushed me out of the way, I saw him reach into the window, actually lean right in past the bus and the glass and take one of the trays that they had on display in the window.

"I could see there were some rings, chains and watches that had gone under the bus and around it. One girl crawled under the bus to get a handful of stuff."

The bus has been towed away and the road reopened.

Adam Rideout, spokesperson for the bus company, said: "Our first thoughts are for the people injured in this incident.

"Safety is our priority and we will obviously be helping the police with their investigations in any way we can."

Stagecoach bus driver suspended after city centre crash

THE DRIVER of a bus that crashed into a pawnbrokers shop in Coventry city centre has been suspended as an investigation into the incident continues.

A spokesman for Stagecoach has confirmed the male driver has been suspended as a precautionary measure following the incedent yesterday afternoon.

Looters took £1,400 stock from Coventry pawnbrokers in bus crash shame

LOOTERS stole stock worth £1,400 from a Coventry city centre pawnbrokers after a bus ploughed into the front of it last month, it has been confirmed.

Witnesses said that thieves pushed people out of the way to get into the shop in Trinity Street at 3pm on Tuesday, March 13.

No-one was killed or seriously injured when the bus, carrying 12 passengers, collided with a black cab and ploughed into the shop.

Coventry Police have launched an appeal to find the looters and are urging witnesses to get in touch.

Store management said that nothing had been taken from the shop but in the immediate aftermath

manager Deborah Florey said she had seen people take jewellery.

And when a full stock take was carried out it was revealed that £1,400 of stock had gone missing.

Police are still hunting the perpetrators and are continuing to appeal for the public’s help in finding them.