The driver of a coach full of Chinese tourists which crashed off a main Highland road yesterday has described the experience as a “lucky escape”.
Keith Waters was driving the single decker bus which had 49 people, from teenagers to pensioners, on board when it veered off the A86 Laggan-Spean Bridge road, near Laggan Wolftrax, at about 9.15am.
He said that he had pulled the bus tight to the left side of the road to pass a lorry coming the other way – but the soft verge collapsed under the weight of the vehicle and left it tilting to one side.
Mr Waters said that the lorry driver was quick to react and help him and the passengers out of the coach, run by Chinese tour operator Omega Travel.
He added: “I have driven this road many times but I think with all the recent rainfall it has softened the verge and it’s just collapsed under the weight.
“It was a lucky escape. If it had turned over then I don’t know what would have happened. I don’t really want to think about it, to be quite honest. I am just glad that no-one was hurt and that everyone was safe”.
Mr Waters said that the tourists were on a Highland tour which started early in Birnam, Perthshire, and that they were travelling to Fort Augustus before heading south to Paisley.
A replacement bus was sent from Aviemore to pick up the passengers who had been escorted by police to a nearby cafe.
Yesterday cafe supervisor Joan Chalmers said that some of the group appeared “shellshocked” as they sat down to collect their thoughts.
She added: “Others were quite happy to sit down and have meals. There was quite a mix of reactions, but everyone was very polite. They managed to get another bus some time around 10.20am and it was a driver from Aviemore who had come to pick them up.”
Yesterday at the scene, police directed traffic in both directions as they awaited vehicle recovery. When this arrived short queues of traffic built up on either side.
There appeared to be very little damage to the bus, but the mud verge on the side of the road had completely collapsed under its weight.
Five fire appliances – one each from Aviemore, Kingussie, Grantown, Newtonmore and Inverness – were called to the scene. However, firefighters were not required.
A police spokesman confirmed yesterday that there were no injuries.