Two double decker buses collided with one another on Melville Terrace in Stirling early in the afternoon of Friday, Jan. 30, 2015. The collision caused parts of the bus to become inoperable, and fuel to spill along the roadway. The gasoline spill caused a road closure for several hours as a cleanup effort ensued. No serious injuries were reported, though several passengers sustained minor injuries and were taken to an area hospital for evaluation and treatment.
Emergency personnel were on scene to provide preliminary evaluations of the injured parties. One of the buses, owned and operated by First Bluebird, was pulled over to the side of the road and boarding passengers at the time the collision took place. Although the investigation into the circumstances behind the crash is still ongoing, it appears that the bus which was pulled over was struck by another bus, owned and operated by Davies Coaches, which was traveling on the same side of the road. Fault in the crash has yet to be established, and it is not known whether drugs, alcohol or speeding may have played a role in the accident.
Two passengers were extracted from one of the buses through the window by firefighters and were then transported to a hospital for medical care. Although several minor injuries were reported, the exact number of injured is not known at this time. Police Scotland continue to investigate the cause of the collision.
According to statistics released by Transport Scotland, the number of injuries and fatalities caused by accidents on Scottish roadways has fallen to its lowest recorded levels, with under 11,500 injuries reported in 2013. The Scottish Road Safety Framework, a plan to reduce injuries and deaths on the nation’s roads that was set forth in 2009, has reported that serious injuries on Scottish roads are down more than 55 percent since the project began.