School coach crash: pupils and staff in shock, says headteacher

Staff and students at Keswick School are "shocked and dismayed" after a coach crash yesterday killed three people, two of them pupils, and injured 35 , their headteacher said today. The two students have been named as Kieron Goulding, 15, and Chloe Walker, who died on her 16th birthday when the school's coach crashed on the A66, near Keswick, at 3.45pm. Headteacher Mike Chapman said a series of special assemblies will be held at the school. Students will be given counselling, while those taking exams will be provided with extra support. "We're all praying for our students who remain critically ill, and for all of those who have suffered both psychologically and emotionally," he said. "We cannot thank the community of Braithwaite, the rescue services and the local education authority enough in the immediate aftermath in helping in tackling the horror in our midst. "We are fortunate to be surrounded by friends. The school will run a structured day today with support for all our students." Chapman said some students had to sit an English Literature exam, which would go ahead, while assemblies will be held throughout the day. Cumbria police identified Walker, from Frizington, and Goulding, from Whitehaven, early today. Facebook pages set up in tribute to the students have attracted hundreds of followers. Police said the driver of a Honda Civic involved in the incident died at the scene but is yet to be formally identified. Five teenagers on the coach were seriously injured and remain in hospital. Chief Superintendent Steve Johnson, speaking at the crash scene on the A66 today, said it was still too early to talk about the cause of the accident. Police revealed that children from the same school who were travelling on a minibus rushed to help their classmates after the incident. "We are certain there were only two vehicles involved," he said. "The third, the minibus containing children, was very near to the accident and witnessed it and clearly the children were very traumatised," he said. "As the incident commander, I can't help but be impressed that at a time of great need the emergency services and the community in West Cumbria once again have come together and done their utmost to try and help people and preserve life." Nine children were still in hospital today, two in a serious but stable condition. In all, 35 people was classed as walking wounded. Many of them were taken to Braithwaite School, near the crash site, where paramedics and doctors treated injuries ranging from minor cuts to fractures and spinal injuries. Police closed the A66 until 3am to allow a thorough investigation of the crash scene. The driver of the coach, a 63-year-old man, was also in a stable condition in hospital, Cumbria Police said. A spokeswoman for North Cumbria University Hospitals NHS trust said most of the injured were treated at Cumberland Infirmary, in Carlisle, and West Cumberland hospital, in Whitehaven. Other casualties had been airlifted to hospitals in Newcastle, Preston and Middlesbrough, she added. Some suffered fractures and spinal injuries. The school coach was travelling west towards Cockermouth, about 13 miles from Keswick, on its usual after-school run when it is understood to have overturned after swerving to avoid another vehicle. Dorothy Roper, of Hall Garth Farm, near the accident scene, said she had heard "a big bang" when the crash happened. The 78-year-old said her granddaughter attended Keswick School. "I think a car pulled out of an entrance on to the main road and it must have hit the bus," she said. "The bus was then knocked on to its side." Gareth Davies, who also lives locally, said his wife, Helen, 42, had been walking home with a friend and their two daughters when they heard the crash and screams. He said his children sometimes took the same bus back from school, adding: "The two mothers heard a smash, and then another smash, and then saw the coach on its side." Brian Lewis, another nearby resident, said the school bus had swerved to avoid a car before the collision. "It was a right mess – there were ambulances everywhere, it was a chaotic scene," he said. "The site of the actual crash is in a hollow, so you can't see a huge amount from the fields nearby."