page_title: 2004 Ingoldmells bus crash
section_title: Accident
hierarchical_section_title: 2004 Ingoldmells bus crash / Accident
caption_attribution_description: English: Fantasy Island Quiet winter scene at Fantasy Island amusement park
context_page_description: At around 17:00 BST on 11 April 2004, a double-decker bus was involved in a collision with a car and a number of pedestrians outside the Fantasy Island amusement park on Sea Lane in Ingoldmells, Lincolnshire. The accident killed five pedestrians and injured six more.
  The bus, a 2001 Volvo B7TL double-decker operated by Lincolnshire RoadCar, was operating a scheduled passenger service between Skegness and Chapel St Leonards when the driver, 50-year-old Stephen Topasna, lost control of the vehicle on Sea Lane in Ingoldmells. The bus veered onto the pavement, striking a number of pedestrians, before swerving back into the road coming to a stop after colliding with a BMW car just beyond a pelican crossing, where it had struck another group of pedestrians.
  With five fatalities, the Ingoldmells bus crash was the worst accident involving a bus in the United Kingdom since the M40 minibus crash in 1993. The accident remained the deadliest bus accident in the United Kingdom during the 21st century until it was surpassed by the 2017 M1 motorway crash involving a minibus.
context_section_description: The bus was being driven along Sea Lane in Ingoldmells, close to the Fantasy Island amusement park, at the time of the accident. Immediately prior to the accident, driver Stephen Topasna pulled the bus into a bus stop in a lay-by by the side of the road in order to pick up passengers. The accident occurred as Topasna accelerated the bus away from the lay-by; due to pedal confusion, Topasna unintentionally caused the bus to accelerate instead of brake after pulling back into the road, leading to a loss of control.
  The bus continued to accelerate for 22 seconds after pulling away from the bus stop, reaching a top speed of 41 mph before losing control and mounting the pavement. Passengers on board reported hearing the driver shouting that the bus had no brakes. After losing control, the bus struck a number of pedestrians on the pavement, before veering back into the road. The bus then struck a BMW car in the road, before failing to stop in time for a pelican crossing, striking a group of pedestrians on the crossing before finally coming to a halt 176 metres after setting off.
  The accident occurred on the busiest day of the year for the amusement park, and the area was busy with pedestrians. In total, the accident killed five pedestrians and injured six more, including two critically. Two people remained trapped underneath the bus for around half an hour after it came to a halt. Three people were pronounced dead immediately at the site of the accident; a fourth died several hours later, while a fifth pedestrian died the following day in hospital.
caption: Fantasy Island amusement park in Ingoldmells, close to the site of the accident
exif: {}