The luckiest of escapes (From This Is Local London)

The luckiest of escapes

2:18pm Monday 16th October 2006 in

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TWO people are lucky to be alive after their van was involved in an horrific crash with a double-decker bus on Monday morning.

The victims were trapped for more than an hour before being cut free from the wreckage of the Ford Escort van by firefighters.

They were taken to Whipps Cross University Hospital, with one suffering from a badly broken leg.

Nobody on the bus was hurt, despite the impact of the crash, which left the van's cargo of electrical goods and clothes strewn across the road.

The night bus, an N55, had been turning right into Hermon Hill from Wanstead High Street at about 5am when it was in collision with the van.

It was knocked off the road, hitting a tree, before smashing into the railings of nearby Staveley Court.

Staveley Court resident Val Benfell, who was woken by the noise of the collision, described it as sounding like a bomb exploding.

She said: "I was jolted awake by this enormous bang.

"We get loads of accidents round here because people drive down these roads like maniacs, but I'd never heard a crash like that before."

Fellow resident Brenda Jones claimed crashes were becoming increasingly common at the junction and called for action to be taken to improve road safety.

She said: "We are always getting minor smashes outside our flats, often in the early hours of the morning.

"We've had cars going into shop fronts after losing control and if things carry on like this it's only a matter of time before someone is very badly hurt."

Snaresbrook ward Councillor Sue Nolan agreed, saying lives will be lost if steps are not taken to prevent road accidents on Hermon Hill. She believes speeding is often an issue along the road.

She said: "We can't afford to wait until someone is killed before we act. We need to be proactive about this problem."

The incident led to rush hour misery for drivers in Wanstead as police closed off the junction for five hours, diverting traffic down nearby Wellesley and Wellington Roads.

A police spokesman called for witnesses to contact the Collision Investigation Unit, Chadwell Heath on 8597 4874.