A FARMER had a miraculous escape after his tractor was toppled in a collision with a bus on a busy Angus road yesterday.
Arthur Duff had been travelling with his 18-year-old daughter when his tractor was in collision with a Stagecoach passenger bus carrying out an overtaking manoeuvre.
The impact sent his John Deere spinning before flipping over but the pair managed to crawl free out of its broken back window with only minor injuries.
Nine passengers on Stagecoach’s Brechin to Forfar service were taken to hospital to be checked over.
Six people were taken to Ninewells Hospital in Dundee and another three to Brechin Infirmary. None of the injuries are believed to be serious.
The accident, which took place at 10.18am on the A935, sparked a multi-agency response from police, ambulance and Tayside Fire and Rescue.
Part of the road was closed while passengers were treated by paramedics on the bus, but was reopened shortly before noon.
Mr Duff (53) said he had been travelling to take his teenage daughter Heather to work at Brechin Castle Centre.
He said: “I was travelling west on the A935 with a Range Rover behind me and a bus behind it.
“I indicated right to go into the Castle Centre. I saw the bus had pulled out and was also indicating right and thought it must be going into the centre as well but it wasn’t.
“By the time I was turning it caught by back wheel. I didn’t have a chance to do anything.
“The tractor swung round and toppled. We both managed to crawl out the back window. My daughter has a bad injury to her arm.
“I’m just relieved that no one is seriously hurt. There could have been tragic consequences. I’ve a cut to my head but that’s the least of my worries.”
Stagecoach said it had launched an internal investigation into the accident.
A spokeswoman said: “One of our vehicles operating on route 21 between Brechin and Forfar has been involved in an incident with a tractor.
“Safety is our absolute priority and our immediate concerns are with those involved in the incident.
“We will assist police with their inquiries and we have also commenced a full internal investigation into the circumstances of this incident.”
Angus College student Stephanie Shepherd (18), from Brechin, had been travelling on the bus to carry out a work placement in Forfar.
She said: “The bus pulled out and overtook the Range Rover and was about to overtake the tractor when it turned into its path. The driver tried to brake as hard as he could.
“I was looking out the window so could see what was away to happen. I managed to grab the bar in front of me. I’ve sprained my wrists and have a small cut to my lip.
“I was in shock after it happened and burst into tears. There were a few screams on the bus.
“The woman who was sitting next to me smacked her lip off the bar. It was bleeding heavily and she spat out a tooth.
“Another man was thrown off his seat with the impact.”
Brian James (66), from Brechin, who was travelling to visit a friend in Forfar, said the accident happened too quickly to be frightening.
He said: “The tractor pulled across the road while the bus was overtaking. The driver had no chance to stop.
“The reaction on the bus was one of shock.
“Immediately passengers began trying to help other people who had been hurt.
“A few people had cuts to their lips. It wasn’t frightening it all happened too quickly to be frightened.”
A spokesman for Tayside Police said inquiries were continuing into the accident.
rmclaren@thecourier.co.uk