A dramatic crash between a fire engine and two guided buses in Northstowe, near Cambridge, left one woman seriously injured and ten others with minor injuries on Wednesday afternoon.
The incident occurred shortly after 2pm on Station Road at the junction with the guided busway. According to Cambridgeshire Police, the 44-year-old woman from Lincolnshire, who was driving one of the single-decker Stagecoach buses, remains in hospital in a serious condition.
The fire engine, en route to another emergency, collided with a bus travelling towards St Ives. A second bus, heading in the opposite direction, was also involved.
Sophie Thurston, who works at Northstowe Tap & Social nearby, described the immediate aftermath. “We heard an initial bang… then people shouting and screaming. A lot had cuts to their faces and hands from shattered glass,” she told the BBC.
Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service confirmed that three firefighters were on board the fire engine. Two sustained minor injuries, with one briefly hospitalised as a precaution.
The East of England Ambulance Service dispatched a large emergency response, including four ambulances, two air ambulances, and several rapid response vehicles. Additional fire crews assisted with casualty extrication at the scene.
Cambridgeshire County Council and emergency services are now working closely with the bus operator to understand how the crash occurred. No arrests have been made, and the road has since been reopened.
Locals have praised the swift actions of nearby businesses and emergency teams, calling it a sobering reminder of how quickly tragedy can strike. Authorities are urging anyone with information to come forward.
