Overview

• Greater Manchester Police arrested the 100 service driver on suspicion of causing serious injury by careless driving and released him on bail pending further inquiries.
• Transport for Greater Manchester, Greater Manchester Police and Stagecoach have launched a joint probe into why the bus was operating off its Shudehill-to-Warrington route and failed to heed 3.5m height restrictions at the Barton Lane bridge.
• The collision at around 3pm on July 21 tore off the bus’s roof and ejected at least one passenger, with North West Ambulance Service treating 15 people and transporting them to Salford Royal and Manchester Royal Infirmary hospitals.
• North West Ambulance Service declared a major incident and deployed ten ambulances, advanced paramedics, its Hazard Area Response Team and air ambulance crews before standing the incident down at 16:22.
• The Barton Lane aqueduct has suffered multiple strikes since 2020, raising concerns about signage, driver training and route management around recurring low-clearance hazards.