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Police update on schoolboy seriously injured in M53 coach crash

BySpotted UK

Oct 3, 2023

Merseyside police have provided an update on the condition of the children involved in the M53 school bus crash.

The update comes after the headteacher at Calday Grange Grammar School confirmed that pupils involved are being offered specialist mental health support and school staff are accompanying them on buses. West Kirby Grammar School student Jessica Baker, 15, and coach driver Stephen Shrimpton, 40, died after the school bus overturned on the the motorway at around 8am on Friday.

Four children were taken to hospital including a 14-year-old boy whose injuries are said to be life-changing. Police today revealed that the the 14-year-old boy remains in hospital in a stable condition. Up to 50 others were assessed at the scene.

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The Calday Grange Grammar School headteacher, Stephen Gray, has said returning pupils faced a “difficult day” in the wake of the tragedy. Mr Gray spoke to BBC One’s Breakfast programme on Monday, outlining the support being offered.

He said: "I was there on Friday at the clearing station where they were taking the casualties and there’s a real sense of togetherness and obviously dealing with the situation and people really were fantastic and stuck together to work through it.

"So we envisage it being a difficult day, it was a difficult day (on) Friday." He said everybody is “pulling together” in response to the incident, in which 58 people were involved.

Mr Gray said the school is offering support to the pupils injured in the crash. Asked for an update on the condition of a pupil who suffered “very bad injuries”, he said: "I believe, well it’s a difficult situation. I can’t really, you know, go into too much detail on that.

"We’ve heard from the family over the weekend. We sent our best wishes. But it’s very difficult. Obviously, two people have lost their lives sadly. And then obviously, as you were saying there, two students have been been badly injured, one particularly so. It’s very difficult but we’ll be in contact with the family and offer whatever support we can."

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