‘Miracle’ no one hurt as huge tree impales top window of double decker bus – as emergency services blame council for not cutting back ‘dangerous’ verges

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Bus passengers had a ‘miraculous’ escape after a tree smashed through a double-decker, punching a hole in the roof and impaling an empty seat. 

The branch was reportedly overhanging the road when it was struck by the number 7 Maidstone to Tunbridge bus in Kent on Saturday. 

Incredibly, nobody was reported to have been injured in the late-night crash, which wrecked the Arriva bus.

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The smash prompted criticism from a vehicle recovery firm, which accused councils of failing to cut back verges and leaving roads in a ‘dangerous’ and ‘dire’ state.  

Mick Goulding Commercials said ‘fortunately’ the collision had been later in the evening, adding: ‘Had it been during the peak hours, the implications do not bear thinking about. Miraculously, no one was actually sitting in the path of the branch.’

A bus smashed into a tree in Kent, with the branch punching its way through the window and roof of the Number 7 between Maidstone and Tunbridge 

Part of the branch even impaled an empty seat on the double-decker 

The images were shared by vehicle recovery firm Mick Gould Commercials, who has since slammed councils for the ‘dire’ state of the UK’s roads 

It added: ‘I fear that this will not be the last incident attributable to our ailing road networks… it’s a sad state of affairs.’

In a post on Facebook, showing the aftermath of the crash, the recovery firm went on to slam local councils for the ‘dire’ state of UK’s roads, branding it ‘actually dangerous’.

‘If you look back at certain stretches of road 50 plus years ago and then look at these same stretches today, more often than not you will see that the vegetation has multiplied to such a degree that in many places, you cannot even keep to your own side of the road,’ the firm said.  

‘We have more sophisticated equipment than we had previously, we are allegedly more safety conscious and so on. It’s a very sad state of affairs. 

‘In this particular incident, an unsafe tree/branch found its way in through the front of this double decker. The bus company should be able to operate their equipment without these kinds of risks.’

Pictures showing the aftermath of the smash left people on social media shocked. One person wrote: ‘Wow that’s really quite scary, that could have quite easily killed multiple passengers on that bus had it been full.’

Chunks of the branch ripped through windows and a seat

Another added: ‘I’m a bus driver and our roads are ridiculous. Constantly hitting vegetation and not just at height. We’ve also had a number of incidents where a driver has hit a pothole and burst the suspension airbag.’

Some even likening it to the horror movie Final Destination, where characters are killed in increasingly outlandish and grisly ways. ‘Final Destination vibes,’ said one person. 

MailOnline has approached Kent County Council for comment.

The authority is in charge of maintaining the highways and cutting back vegetation.

However, it is not responsible for maintaining vegetation from private land. But council chiefs do have powers to take enforcement action if safety concerns are raised. 

Arriva has been approached for comment.  

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