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Original poster

Belgian Coach crash in Switzerland - 28 killed.

93 replies

Portofino · 14/03/2012 09:53

Here. My thoughts and prayers are with the poor, poor familes of those killed and injured. The villages aren't that far from where I live. Such a tradegy! Sad

These classes de neige are part of the Belgian national curriculum - all Year 6 children go - the idea that something like this can happen.....

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Original poster
Portofino · 14/03/2012 18:08

Dd told me in the car tonight that her teacher had told the class about the accident Hmm - including the death toll. I guess she normally talks to them about big news stories...but still....

Dd said "Imagine if that was me!" I thought (but did not say) that I have been trying really hard NOT to do that very thing all day....and had a little cry. Belgium is a very sad place today.

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SecretNutellaFix · 14/03/2012 18:10

Portofino- I think that long term, it will help the children understand if there was a class discussion about it.

It's such a tragedy.

belgo · 14/03/2012 18:20

Portofino, Belgium is so small, all the children in Belgium will know about it. It's been on Children's TV all afternoon as well.

It was right for the teacher to bring it up in school, with the facts. It has also been discussed at my children's schools, in particular because being so close to one of the schools, they have family members and friends who go to the effected schools.

The burgermeester (MP) of Leuven is furious with how the authorities reacted.

It's incredibly sad. Such a lot of the children to deal with.

EdithWeston · 14/03/2012 18:23

This is how Newsround is reporting it so far (always a good place to look for a child-friendly version of stories).

Original poster
Portofino · 14/03/2012 20:05

You are right of course. Dd has been discussing medical things and accidents at school recently and got a bit stressed discussing, say, transplants....so I have to admit I was concerned about how she would handle the idea of Primary school children from 10 miles up the road being killed on their skiing trip - a trip she knows she will do herself. She was fine though. I asked her if she wanted to talk about it, or if she was worried about anything.....I guess it must all be a bit unreal to them.

Belgo - yes, there do seem to have big delays and communication issues here. I read that it was a parent that tipped off the local authorities rather than anything official coming from Switzerland - hours after the event.

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belgo · 14/03/2012 20:16

Lots of Church bells ringing right now, 24 hours after it happened.

SecretNutellaFix · 14/03/2012 20:18

All the families are in my prayers this evening.

Original poster
Portofino · 14/03/2012 20:24

And mine.

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sanguinechompa · 14/03/2012 20:41

This is unimaginably awful ... I feel so terribly sad for the parents

Like you Porto I couldn't help but think about it all day

We are in Belgium. DD's school said prayers for everyone concerned in class today and they are going to hold a mass for the victims and families at the end of the week.

I would imagine they tried to delay news getting out until all the parents were informed - esp in view of identification issues Sad Sad

PamFerriswheel · 14/03/2012 21:00

Desparately sad. I cried when I read about this - dd has just returned by coach from a school ski trip, and at the back of your mind you are always praying that they return safely.

And I just think of the survivors coping with their injuries and mental/emotional trauma. It will be a long recovery for them. I can barely imagine how the bereaved family are coping Sad .

cookcleanerchaufferetc · 14/03/2012 21:12

Condolences to all those involved ..., a sad sad day

Original poster
Portofino · 14/03/2012 21:43

Not so much a question of news getting out, it appears that the Swiss authorities did not contact the Belgian authorities about the accident until about 8 - 9 hours after.....

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Original poster
Portofino · 14/03/2012 21:44

Some parents were aware much, much earlier as the children had mobile phones.....

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PigletJohn · 14/03/2012 21:58

it wasn't exactly the tunnel wall he hit, for some reason there was a bus-sized solid block of concrete in the tunnel, with its square front facing oncoming traffic. Rather as if there was a change in number of lanes or width of tunnel and it had been blocked off.

For all we know the driver had a heart attack or a seizure and couldn't drive straight, though I believe it is much more common for drivers to fall asleep.

I find it very odd that there was no Armco barrier, in the way that we have it here to prevent you bashing into the supports of a motorway bridge.

PigletJohn · 14/03/2012 22:03

you can see it here. the face of the concrete wall is painted green. In som of the pics it is marked "emergency stop area"

LIZS · 14/03/2012 22:08

In Swiss tunnels you often have run off areas to the side, for breakdowns and so on. Maybe he just ran out of room due to brake failure or having clipped a kerb the other side and oversteering :( Apparently the tunnel has a bend and camber in it so if the driver were unfamiliar with the route he may have gone out of the lane. They'd only just left the resort so tiredness seems unlikely.

Original poster
Portofino · 14/03/2012 22:57

The Belgian news is saying: Technical problem, health of the driver, human error. I think they ruled out speeding, or an incident with other traffic.

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BoffinMum · 15/03/2012 11:05

It doesn't look all that damaged in the picture, but when you see the bus towed away on the DTel website it is clear something catastrophic happened. The bus just completely crumpled, didn't it? A bit of me is now wondering whether buses have N-CAP safety ratings like cars do, and how crumple zone design varies amongst bus manufacturers. And what sort of bus my son's school are using for their ski trip in a couple of weeks' time. Sad

CogitoErgoSometimes · 15/03/2012 13:11

"The bus just completely crumpled, didn't it?"

I'm actually amazed how much remained intact after hitting a concrete wall, head on at high speed. Modern buses are pretty robust but nothing is indestructible. If you're worried about a school-trip, check with the school

MOSagain · 15/03/2012 13:14

Terrible terrible news, my heart goes out to everyone involved Sad
I have to wonder though how so many were killed and injured. I have seen many accidents and although the coach is of course very badly damaged, the damaged doesn't seem to explain why so many injuries. You do have to wonder whether seat belts were being used.

A horrible to shock to many people, DD is going off on her school ski trip in 2 weeks and I think many other parents in the same situation won't rest until their DC are safely home.

CogitoErgoSometimes · 15/03/2012 13:55

Seat-belts were fitted and being used. Seat-belts can reduce injury but they don't make the user bullet-proof. Remember the security bloke that was horribly injured in the tunnel crash that killed Princess Diana? He was the only one that survived thanks to his seat-belt but going from 90mph to a dead stop still left him with pretty terrible injuries

PigletJohn · 15/03/2012 14:01

yes, hitting a solid concrete wall head on at speed is going to be the most severe impact you can have.

the safest car in the world is going to be badly damaged after that. Seat belts will mean the deaths and injuries will be reduced but not eliminated.

I am concerned that there was a solid concrete block positioned like that. I've been through Diana's underpass (it is quite short) and it was built with concrete pillars and no rail. Drive along a UK motorway and you won't see that.

EdithWeston · 15/03/2012 14:43

MOSagain: you do not have to be in the crumple zone to suffer severe deceleration injuries to the brain or other internal organs.

SuiGeneris · 15/03/2012 15:00

Piglet: it isn't a solid block in the midle of the tunnel. It is a tunnel that is quite wide and in some areas is wider to allow for emergencies, breakdowns, safety refuges etc. The escape lanes and their ends are very well marked, you cannot mistake them for a normal bit of tunnel. It might be that they had a problem, tried o use the safety lane and could not stop at the end of it...

SuiGeneris · 15/03/2012 15:10

In all the awfulness of this, it is good to see the solidarity of those nearby: around 150 medical staff have cancelled holidays to come back and help, people are turning p to give blood or offer to interpret for the Flemish and Dutch speakers, hotels are offering free rooms etc...