OAP coach in M42 drama

Sep 29 2008 By Emma McKinney

A GROUP of pensioners from the Midlands had a lucky escape after flying debris from a passing sports car smashed through the windscreen of their coach causing glass to fly in the driver’s face as they travelled along a motorway.

Despite having glass in his face, the quick-thinking driver – a man in his 40s from Devon who has not been named – managed to stop the vehicle safely on the hard shoulder.

A spokesman for West Midlands Ambulance Service, said it was a miracle the driver was left with only minor injuries and praised his quick reactions, which meant all 48 pensioners from Birmingham, Solihull, Nottingham, and Derby, escaped unharmed.

Incident support officer Rob Perkins, who attended the scene on the eastbound carriageway of the M42 between Junctions 3 and 3a near Redditch, Worcestershire, at around 2.50pm on Saturday, said: “The coach driver was naturally shaken by what had happened but his skill in staying calm should not be underestimated.

“This undoubtedly had the potential to be a very much more serious incident.

“The driver had realised what was happening and had turned away from the windscreen when it broke and so only had injuries to the right side of his face.”

He said the pensioners, who had been returning from a trip to Newquay, had to wait in the coach on the hard shoulder of the motorway for more than 90 minutes for a replacement vehicle.