A police car on an emergency callout smashed into a double decker bus on Monday afternoon, leaving an officer in hospital with minor injuries. The incident, which onlookers described as 'horrible', saw the cop car and double decker bus collide head-on on Fernclough Road, Harpurhey, on Monday (May 30).
Police quickly closed off the road in both directions following the smash shortly after 3pm, with drivers and other popular bus services being diverted. Dramatic videos in the immediate aftermath show the police car visibly damaged at the front, with clouds of smoke also seen coming from the vehicles.
It was later confirmed that there were no major injuries reported, but that a female officer from the car had been taken to hospital with minor injuries. Nine people were also assessed by paramedics at the scene.
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The cordon remained in place for around an hour, with the scene clearing at around 5pm. Onlookers told the M.E.N that the sound of the crash was 'horrific' as they also described the scenes of upset in the moments after.
One person said: “The sound was horrible. The police car was basically inside the bus.” As another added: “I saw the police car go round the bend doing 90 or something. They were driving on the other side of the road and they smashed straight into the bus and took a massive chunk off.”
Greater Manchester Police later confirmed that the police car had been travelling on blue lights, and was responding to a 'grade one' emergency response call when the smash happened. Stagecoach, the bus provider for the 119 service involved, claimed the car had been coming around the bend on the same side of the road before striking the double-decker.
The North West Ambulance Service said people were checked over at the scene for minor injuries, with no major injuries reported. Crews from the Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service also attended, and made both vehicles safe.
A spokesperson for Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS) said: “At around 3:20pm this afternoon (Monday 30 May), two fire engines from Blackley and Philips Park fire stations attended a road traffic collision on Fernclough Road, Harpurhey, involving a bus and a police car.
“Firefighters used one hose reel and a thermal scanner to make the vehicles safe, and nine people were assessed at the scene by colleagues from North West Ambulance Service. GMFRS crews were at the scene for around half an hour.”
A spokesperson for Stagecoach said: “This afternoon at approximately 15:10, a police car travelling with blue lights and sirens came round a bend on the wrong side of Fernclough Road and has collided with our bus which was operating a 119 service at the time."
And a spokesperson for GMP added: "This is a collision between a car – a police vehicle - and a bus on Fernclough Road in Manchester. Report came through to us just after 3.10pm. Emergency services attended and a woman, an officer, received minor injuries and was taken to hospital."
