Walsall mother hurt as she held baby when bus crashed into shelter
An investigation is underway after a mother-of-four suffered bruising and concussion after a bus crashed into a shelter.
Charlene Grant and three of her children including her seven-week-old son were waiting for the number 31 Diamond Bus service, in High Street, Bloxwich, when the vehicle mounted the kerb and struck the bus shelter.
The bus company said the incident happened when the driver made an "evasive manoeuvre to avoid traffic cones in roadworks" and that a full investigation was being carried out.
The collision happened opposite Asda as the bus was arriving from the Walsall direction.
Miss Grant, 33, of Mossley Estate, said: "I'm still in shock. It was just chaos.
"I had just picked up the girls from school and went into Asda before going to catch the bus to go home.
"They'd still been going to school because I had the baby in lockdown.
"We were just waiting. I had my earphones in while talking to my mum on my mobile.
"I saw the bus coming round the corner so I told the kids to pick up their bags.
"The next thing there was a big crash and I saw the ground coming towards me and the bus shelter coming down on top of me. I remember trying to push it aside and telling the girls to move out of the way.
"All I was thinking about was 'were the kids all right'.
"I think because I was concussed afterwards, it didn't register that it was the bus that caused it. Somebody came off the bus and was trying to calm me down because I must have been screaming and the kids were screaming.
"I was lying on my back. The baby was in the sling on my chest.
"The firefighters came over the road from the fire station to help. They said they heard the noise. They got me to sit down on the wall because I was dizzy.
"My mum was still on the phone and heard it all happen so she got into the car and came straight over from where she lives in Great Barr."
Miss Grant sustained bruising to her neck and lower back as a result and was treated in hospital and given a head scan before being discharged.
The children Akeela, eight, Luvarna, seven, and Azarye, seven weeks, were unhurt. She also has another daughter Nemiya, 12, who had staying been with relatives.
"My girls have been really shaken up by it. They're not interested in going back on the bus any time soon," she added.
In a statement Diamond Bus said: "We can confirm that an incident occurred on May 28, whereby one of our vehicles hit a bus shelter in High Street, Bloxwich where Miss Grant was waiting with her three children.
"The incident occurred as the driver made an evasive manoeuvre to avoid traffic cones in roadworks.
"The incident was fully captured by our on-board CCTV which shows clearly what occurred during the incident and any injuries that were sustained as a result.
"We understand that the situation must have been very upsetting for Miss Grant and her children at the time and we can reassure all those involved that a full investigation is being undertaken by our operations team.”
West Midlands Ambulance Service spokesman Jamie Arrowsmith said: "We were called at 5.41pm on Thursday to reports of a bus that had collided with a bus stop, in High Street, Bloxwich.
"One ambulance and a paramedic officer attended the scene.
"On arrival we discovered one patient, a woman, who was standing at the bus stop at the time of the collision and was hit by debris as a result of the collision.
"She was treated for injuries not believed to be serious before being taken to Walsall Manor Hospital for further assessment."
West Midlands Police confirmed that officers also attended the scene on May 28 after receiving reports that a bus had hit a shelter.
