Media Statement
We were called at 02.45 this morning (30/12/16) following reports of a coach operated by the Oxford Bus Company having come off the slip road on the M40 northbound at Junction 7 (Milton Common, Thame).
South Central Ambulance Service declared this a major incident due to the number of patients involved and attended the scene with our colleagues from Thames Valley Police and Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service. There was thick fog in the area at the time of the accident which also presented challenges to the emergency services getting to the scene.
The male coach driver and 16 adult passengers (mixture of male and female) had sustained a variety of minor injuries, such as cuts, bruises, broken bones, etc., and all 17 patients were taken to the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford.
At the scene, we had six ambulances, a rapid response vehicle, three ambulance officers (two bronze and one silver), a BASICS Doctor and the Trust’s Hazardous Area Response Team. We also sent a Silver Officer to the emergency department at the John Radcliffe Hospital to assist with the arrival of this large volume of patients.
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