Alan Jones, a former professional jockey turned trainer, says he has been unable to sleep after witnessing the trauma of a tragic school bus crash near Minehead, Somerset. The 64-year-old was among the first on the scene after the bus overturned and slid down a 20-foot embankment on the A396 at Cutcombe Hill on Thursday.
The bus, carrying 60 to 70 pupils and staff from Minehead Middle School, was returning from a trip to Exmoor Zoo when the accident occurred. A 10-year-old boy tragically lost his life, and six children along with three adults remain hospitalized.
Mr. Jones, who lives at East Harwood Farm nearby, felt compelled to help. Using his quad bike, he navigated through fields to bypass the closed road and transported several injured passengers to safety. Over the course of the rescue, he ferried eight adults and children to the Rest and Be Thankful Inn in Wheddon Cross, which had been designated as a safe hub.
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“It’s a very remote area,” Jones explained. “The children coming out of that accident wouldn’t have known where they were. I thought it was important to try and help. I was there in under 10 minutes.”
Upon arriving, Jones saw police surrounding the overturned bus and immediately recognized that many passengers were still trapped. He first assisted two teachers who were on the roadside, carefully driving them around the bends to the nearby pub. Along the way, he encountered a group of children and an adult who had been directed to head to the safe hub but were stranded and confused.
“They were young middle school children, injured and upset after being thrown upside down in the bus,” Jones recalled. “All the windows had broken, and they were scared and exhausted. Some had been helped out by emergency services, but many couldn’t make the walk up the steep road.”
At the top, the two teachers were taken by ambulance, and Jones returned to pick up another teacher and a child, both visibly in shock. “One teacher told me, ‘I’m never going back on a bus or coach ever again,’” he said.
The emotional impact of the incident has stayed with Jones since the ordeal. “They’re so innocent, and none of it was their fault,” he reflected. “It was a deeply upsetting sight. Knowing they’re children from a middle school makes it even harder. I think everyone who heard the news would have dropped what they were doing to help.”
The crash occurred around 3:15 pm between Wheddon Cross and Timberscombe. The bus left the road and came to rest 20 feet below on a steep slope. Recovery efforts are ongoing, and the road is expected to remain closed until early next week as investigations continue.
Community support has been overwhelming, with fundraisers raising tens of thousands of pounds to aid affected families. Minehead Middle School, deeply shaken by the tragedy, remained closed on the following Friday as tributes poured in.