UPDATE: Bus stop crash '˜an accident waiting to happen'

A crash involving a schoolgirl at a village bus stop was an '˜accident waiting to happen', according to a resident.
DM17313780a.jpg RTC, B2139, Thakeham, West Sussex. Photo by Derek Martin. SUS-170322-093100008DM17313780a.jpg RTC, B2139, Thakeham, West Sussex. Photo by Derek Martin. SUS-170322-093100008
DM17313780a.jpg RTC, B2139, Thakeham, West Sussex. Photo by Derek Martin. SUS-170322-093100008

Emergency services were called to the B2159 Storrington Road, in Thakeham, at about 7.45am this morning after an 11-year-old girl and a van collided.

The girl was expected to be flown to hospital after suffering head injuries.

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The stop is used by school children catching the bus in the morning and has been at the centre of several accidents over the years.

A Thakeham resident, who lives near the stop, said it was obvious something nasty was going to happen.

He said: “It was obvious to me it was a nasty accident waiting to happen.

“The bus stop sign on the east side was crashed into last year and just this year the shelter on the west side was crashed into, which is not good when kids are waiting to get the school bus.

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“If a car crashes into the bus stop it is going to crash into kids.”

The resident raised concerns about children’s safety and called on West Sussex County Council to move the stop further up the road.

“I have spoken to the council about this,” he said.

“It is at the bottom of a hill, it’s on a bend and that stretch of the road is often wet because of the pond which when the water is high overflows making it particularly wet. The road surface is rather flat so any water tends to stay there.

“It is not a good place for kids to get the bus. There is a better place about 100 yards or so north.”

The county council has been approached for comment.

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