Statement from Chief Inspector George Brown, of Leodis Police

“A man was taken to Leodis General Hospital at approximately 6 am yesterday after the single-decker bus he was driving was in collision with an end terrace property at Balmoral Road, Leodis. Mr Ted Jones, 48, of 72 Windsor Drive, Leodis, sustained minor cuts and bruises but was discharged later the same day. It is understood that he lost control of the bus after encountering a patch of black ice. There were no passengers on board and no charges will be brought against him. The householder, Mrs Joan Smith, 67, was upstairs in bed at the time of

the collision and did not sustain any injuries, although I understand that she was treated for shock at the scene. Her property sustained substantial internal and external structural damage, but it remains habitable.”

Statement from Mrs Joan Smith, of 21 Balmoral Road, Leodis:

“I’m an early riser and was just about to get up when I heard a loud bang downstairs. I threw on my dressing gown and hurried down to investigate. The kitchen looked as if an earthquake had hit it. There was a hole in one wall and there was dust and plaster and bricks everywhere. It was a terrible shock. ‘I don’t know how long it will take to sort out all the mess. The wall has been boarded up for now, but the whole kitchen needs rebuilding. The cooker and washing machine were both damaged and I’ll need to completely redecorate. I’d set aside the morning to make a cake for my grandson’s second birthday party on Saturday, but it could be weeks before I can do any baking in my own kitchen again.”

Statement from Mr Ted Jones, of Windsor Drive, Leodis, a driver for the Leodis Bus Company:

“I left the army a year ago after 15 years as a driver with the mechanical engineering corps. I was unemployed for nearly 11 months before getting this job with the Leodis Bus Company. I’ve spent about four weeks training and learning the routes and yesterday was the first time I’d taken a bus out on my own. I was on the early morning shift and hadn’t even had a single passenger when I accidentally took a wrong turn and ended up in Balmoral Road. It was a cold, icy morning and the bus skidded on a patch of black ice near Mrs. Smith’s house. I lost control and ended up slamming into her kitchen wall. I can’t believe that this has happened. I went through the whole of the first Gulf war without getting even a scratch. The first time I take a bus out on my own I demolish a kitchen and end up in hospital”.

Дата добавления: 2015-07-11