Four children have been rushed to hospital after the minibus they were travelling in crashed in central Birmingham today.
Pictures from the scene show the mangled minibus with severe damage to the vehicle's nearside after it hit the lamp post pictured at the scene. Police have questioned the driver while inquiries are still continuing.
The children, understood to all be of school age, were assessed and treated for injuries not believed to be serious before being taken to Birmingham Children’s Hospital. Two other children and one adult were assessed and discharged at the scene following the collision in Handsworth at around 12.50pm. The vehicle was carrying 14 children when it hit the lamp post on Soho Road in the city.
Chief Inspector Clark Gardener added: "I'd like to thank the community that came to help the children, offering them shelter from the cold in a shop. Inquiries continue and anyone with information should get in touch with police quoting log 2017 of January 15."
A West Midlands Fire Service spokesman told BirminghamLive: "Shortly before 12.55pm on Monday (15 January), we responded to Soho Road in the Handsworth area of Birmingham. Two fire engines and a 4x4 Brigade Response Vehicle attended, crewed by 11 firefighters from Handsworth and Ladywood stations. The first arrived within three minutes of being mobilised.
Baby boy has spent his life in hospital as doctors are 'scared' to discharge him"This was a collision involving a minibus, car and lamp post. One man and 14 children travelling on the minibus received precautionary check-ups from paramedics. Four children are believed to have been conveyed to Birmingham Children's Hospital for further check-ups. Both vehicles and the scene were made safe by fire crews. West Midlands Police and West Midlands Ambulance's Hazardous Area Response Team were also in attendance. We left the incident at 1.51pm."
Meanwhile, an 18-year-old with a "heart of gold" died after a crash in Wales. According to South Wales Police, they are continuing to investigate the crash that happened on December 19. Police say the crash happened at around 8.40am, and an 18-year-old man from Mountain Ash died as a result. He has now been named as Jansen Jones.
WalesOnline reported that Jansen's father Jason Phillips said: "Jansen was my only son and he was perfect in every way , he was kind and considerate and the perfect big brother. Jansen adored all his brothers and sisters. Jansen leaves behind two sisters, Sailor and Kiki, that he absolutely adored. Jansen was my boy, my best friend. Our hearts are completely broken."