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Bus smash near Loughborough - remarkable escapes. 1930
Loughborough Echo - 31st October 1930
There were some remarkable escapes from death and injury when a sixteen seater passenger bus, belonging to Messrs. Howlett, of Barrow Road, Quorn, was completely smashed on the Quorn side of the Bull-in-the-Hollow, about 6 o'clock on Saturday night, when it collided with a bus belonging to Allen's of Mountsorrel.
Only the driver of Howlett's bus, W. D Howlett, and a 16 year old boy, Frank Ruff of 108 Shelthorpe Road, Loughborough, sustained injuries, there being no passengers on the bus. Howlett suffered shock, and the boy received injuries to his left arm and side. Both were taken to Loughborough Hospital.
The bus, which was recently a new one, was smashed beyond repair, and the only part of the bodywork which was left intact was the driver's seat behind the engine, and from that the back was ripped away. The metal work and the glass in the forepart of the driver's position was shattered, as were the two sides. The body of the bus was knocked three feet away from the chassis, which was badly twisted, and after the smash was nothing but a mass of broken and splintered wood. Not a single seat was left, and the sides, top and back of the bus were all crumpled. It was thrown into its off-side ditch. It was remarkable that it did not catch fire.
Allen's bus, a much heavier vehicle, was at the time of the crash, carrying thirty passengers. None were hurt, but all suffered a severe shaking. Women screamed and many of the passengers left by the rear exit. As only the left front of this bus came into contact with Howlett's bus, the driver, who was sitting in the front driving cabin, escaped injury by only a few inches. The conductor was previously standing on the step, and only just jumped out of danger in time, as all the glass, the left wing and left hand side of the radiator were smashed. Both had miraculous escapes. The driver was J. Brooks of Mountsorrel, and the conductor was J Haynes, also of Mountsorrel.
For a distance of nearly forty feet glass was thrown over the road, and at one time nearly forty cars were drawn alongside the wreckage. Police were on special duty on the scene. Messrs Archie Moss's breakdown gang were soon present, but so deeply embedded was Howlett's bus that they were occupied until 2am on Sunday in removing it from the spot.
See Artefact 812 for a photograph of the Howletts bus, before its mishap!
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Submitted on: |
2011-07-13 |
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Submitted by: |
Kathryn Paterson |
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Artefact ID: |
1300 |
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Artefact URL: |
www.quornmuseum.com/display.php?id=1300 |
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