Midlothian community left in shock as one man dies and 23 hurt in bus crash on way to day out at the races

A VILLAGE pub’s festive outing to the races ended in tragedy when a coach overturned killing one passenger and injuring 23 others.

The party of friends, from the Dean Tavern in Newtongrange, left the Midlothian village yesterday morning for a day at Kelso Racecourse.

But just 30 minutes into their journey disaster struck when the coach left the road on the A6089 near Whiteburn, rolling into a field and coming to rest on its roof.

One passenger was killed and several others along with the driver suffered serious injuries.

MSP Neil Findlay, who has close ties with many families in the former mining village, said last night: “This has been a horrific accident and, after speaking to some who were at the scene, I’m praying there will be no further fatalities.

“This was a special seasonal trip to the races for a group of local men, something they had all been looking forward to. For it to end in tragedy like this is shocking.”

There were 23 passengers and a driver on the coach. The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service used specialist cutting gear to free four people who were trapped.

The driver was among those rushed to hospital. Casualties were taken to Borders General Hospital, Edinburgh Royal Infirmary and Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow. Kelso Racecourse was hosting its annual “festive fling” yesterday, with the first race scheduled for 11.30am.

Anthea Morshead, the clerk of the course, said: “It’s very, very sad and our thoughts and prayers are with everybody involved.”

Villager Ian Johnston had a lucky escape after he changed his plan to book a seat on the coach when his grandson said he wanted to take the train.

The 71-year-old, a regular at the town’s Dean Tavern, said: “When we were at the races I wondered why we couldn’t see any of the boys from the pub. But when we got back to Tweedbank some of the boys who’d been on the bus were there and said it had crashed. Some of them were just out of the hospital and said they had sore backs and sore legs.

“They said there had been a big gust of wind and the next thing the bus hit the side of the road and toppled over.

“They told me the driver had been airlifted to hospital in Glasgow and that someone on the bus had died.

“I feel that I’m a very lucky man because I was very nearly on that bus. It’s been a terrible shock.”

ONE PERSON HAS SADLY DIED AFTER A MINIBUS OVERTURNED ON #A6089

A man has died and 23 people were taken to hospital following the incident, which took place around 10.50am today (Saturday 29th December) between Carfraemill and Gordon.

Read more – https://t.co/xfRSG3tmPZ pic.twitter.com/A7NxfENZop

— Scottish Borders Police (@BordersPolice) December 29, 2018

One worker at The Dean Tavern, who asked not to be named, said: “A lot of our regular customers are in hospital.” Rev Malcolm Muir has invited families to Newtongrange Church Hall for a “time of prayer” at 6pm today. He met with families last night.

He said: “There is a dark cloud over the village at the moment. But it’s a strong community that will hold together.”

Eyewitnesses spoke of a chaotic crash scene. Farmer John Hamilton said: “I saw a helicopter land near the accident. There were also lots of emergency vehicles.”

A Scottish Ambulance Service Spokesman said: “Due to the number of passengers requiring assistance, we dispatched a large number of resources to the scene including our air ambulance, trauma and Special Operations Response Teams.”

Dean Mack, the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service’s Group Manager for the Scottish Borders, said they were alerted at 10.55am.

Chief Inspector Steven Duncan of the Lothians and Scottish Borders Police Division said officers were “providing ongoing support” to the family of the man who died, as well as those who have been injured and their families.”