A DRIVER has been rushed to hospital after a crash involving a bus and three other vehicles.

The crash happened outside the Portobello Inn, in Bransford Road, Worcester, at around 6.41pm yesterday (July 26).

Bus driver Phillip Coles said he crashed into a white van after it attempted to overtake a taxi.

Mr Coles, aged 59, from Bewdley, said: “A taxi was turning left and the van was overtaking the taxi. I hit him head-on.

“I lost control of the bus. You see it on telly, someone comes at you head-on and you think ‘oh dear’. The van did a 180 [degree turn].

“The one man in the van was injured and taken to hospital. I feel lucky not to be injured.”

Mr Coles, who had no passengers on his bus at the time of the crash, said he was a ‘bit shook up’ by the incident.  

The bus also damaged two parked vehicles.

Eyewitness Liam Crane described the crash as a ‘close shave’.

He said: “We were sat on the bench at the pub overlooking the road.

“We were sat here discussing whether to watch Incredibles 2 when we heard a bang.

“I looked up and saw the van spin 180, the big thing that caught our eye was the bus.

“You don’t often see a bus out of control and we thought ‘where is that going?’ The bus driver was battling to keep control.”

Following the crash, Mr Crane went to check to see if anyone was injured, while his partner, Isabelle, rang the ambulance service.

He added: “I saw the bus was empty, thank God. We noticed the bus driver had got out. I wasn’t sure if he was hurt.

“But this guy in the van was stuck in the vehicle. He didn’t get out at all. It may have been shock.

“The airbag had gone off and he’d done a 180. A couple of people went over to him and said ‘take a few deep breaths, people are on the way’.”

Mr Crane estimated that the injured driver was in his late 20s or early 30s.

West Midlands Ambulance Service sent an ambulance and a paramedic officer to the crash at 6.41pm. 

Paramedics said the van driver suffered minor injuries and abdominal pain. 

The ambulance took the van driver to Worcestershire Royal Hospital, arriving at 7.45pm. 

Two fire crews from Worcester and one crew from Droitwich were also called to the scene.

Watch commander Nick Tuckwell said his crew helped to make the four vehicles safe and assisted the ambulance service.

The paramedics and firefighters also worked together to get the injured man out of his vehicle.

The street was blocked in both directions last night and the emergency services urged drivers to avoid the area.

Police officers also responded to the incident and anyone with information can ring 101 quoting 674s of July 26.