Immediate Response to Bus Crash
Dean Hollands and Martyn Pope were among the first to arrive at the scene of a bus crash on the A484 near the Kidwelly roundabout in Carmarthenshire on Tuesday afternoon. The X11 service bus had crashed, injuring nineteen people, six of whom were taken to hospital. Police confirmed that no injuries were believed to be life-threatening.
Both men, who work in local care homes and were driving behind the bus in their van, described the chaotic scene as passengers were "crying and screaming." They quickly used tools from their van to break windows and remove doors to assist those trapped inside.
"We've got tools in the back of the van so we grabbed a couple of hammers and dashed down onto the field. People were crying and screaming, making a not very nice noise," said Pope.
They noted that the bus had rolled over and that the absence of seat belts likely caused passengers to be thrown around inside the vehicle. The crash site was in a field with a 15-20ft drop, and emergency services brought water due to the hot weather conditions.
Rescue Efforts and Passenger Assistance
Hollands recounted the rescue efforts, describing how they pulled passengers from the bus, including an elderly woman lying on broken glass and an elderly man. They also assisted a man carrying a baby and a dog. Debris and food were scattered around, as many passengers had been food shopping.
"There was a lady on the floor and she was actually lying on the glass windows as the bus was on its side, so Martyn went to the front, I went to the back, pulled one old lady out and an old chap. Then me and Martyn took the doors out," Hollands said.
"We started clearing the debris. Loads of people had been food shopping so there was food everywhere," he added.
Both men praised the emergency services for their swift response. They later discovered that an elderly woman they helped was the mother of a colleague at their care home and had sustained serious injuries.
"There were lots of cuts, head injuries, people with dislocations and a lot of shaken up people," Pope described.
Family and Local Community Reactions
Sally-Ann Morgan Smith, whose 17-year-old son Connor was on the bus, shared her experience. Connor was traveling to meet friends in Swansea when the crash occurred. She received a call from him at 13:50 informing her of the incident.
She described the journey to reach him as "the longest journey ever" and expressed concern despite his age.
"He might be 17, but he's still my baby," Morgan Smith said.
Connor was taken to Glangwili Hospital in Carmarthen due to a high pulse rate. Although shaken, he was reported to be in stable condition with injuries including a bad knee, a bad arm, and general aches.
"He had his headphones on so he wasn't really paying attention much, but he could hear the screams through the rock music of his headphones. Then he hit the side and went down," Morgan Smith explained.
She expressed gratitude for the kindness of strangers at the scene, noting that a woman provided water to the passengers when supplies ran out, and Connor shared his drink with an elderly woman.
"There was a lady there who took them all water, the drinks ran out so Connor gave his drink to an old lady," she said.
"I am 100% proud of my son who activated the emergency exit straight after the crash," she added.
Local Farmer’s Account and Assistance
Jacko Thomas, a local farmer who rents the field where the bus crashed, described his reaction to the scene.
"I was gobsmacked when I saw the scene," Thomas said.
He was due to mow the field that day but considered himself lucky that he was not there at the time of the crash. Thomas helped transport injured passengers in his pickup truck and farm buggy, assisting those who were able to walk but in pain, including two elderly women.
"The bus was on its side and bodies everywhere, I was gobsmacked," he said. "It was quite scary seeing the emergency services and injured people. People were laying on the floor everywhere," he added.
"I was shocked that it was not any worse," Thomas noted.
The farmer mentioned that fire and rescue services appreciated the assistance in moving people, especially given the heat.
Summary of Incident and Emergency Response
The bus crash on the A484 near Kidwelly resulted in nineteen injuries, six of which required hospital treatment. Emergency services responded promptly, and the efforts of bystanders like Pope, Hollands, and Thomas were instrumental in assisting passengers and easing the situation until professional help arrived.
