Britain's Worst Road Disaster

[@GLK-London]

This documentary is a fitting tribute and helps keep alive the memory of those poor people who died and were affected by this tragedy. I lost my wife 37 years ago in an accident involving a bus 37 years ago and time does not make it any easier. One just learns to cope and build a new life because it is the only way forward. I thought the gentleman who talked of how the families would be involved in legal wrangling nowday's was so right in what he said. Some things are just an accident and no one's deliberate fault.

[@elizabethannegrey6285]

It is deeply insulting to tell people that after such a lapse of time they should get over it. Everyone has their own manner and time for dealing with tragedy, and for sure those critics have not lost a loved one under such traumatic circumstances.

[@nktigger99]

So very true...Grief has no timeline, grief has no rules...

[@andybyrne50]

My mother lost her son in 1961,killed by a person that shouldn’t have been driving. She died in 2017 ,aged 96 & to that day she never ever got over him,she mourned him for a lifetime. I don’t think people ever get over tragedy,they just learn to live with it .

[@blotski]

@@andybyrne50 Absolutely right. Over the past 8 years I've lost both parents, a brother and my best friend. Been a bit unlucky. I can confirm that grief is a question of learning to live with the pain. Getting used to it. But you never 'get over' it. People on the outside might think you have because you're not crying all the time. But you haven't.

[@JoJo-Hamilton]

@Andreas Glad As a child my Godfather pointed a gun at me. He told me to go home, he went home and shot his brains out, I was the last to see him alive.

[@JoJo-Hamilton]

We never 'Get Over' death. Especially those that are close. Be it natural or traumatic.

[@baduncle6378]

I can’t believe after all those deaths there and there isn’t even a proper crash barrier as you go into the bend

[@gosportjamie]

Part of the issue was touched on by the councillors at the site. It's in a national park, which means any alterations to the road or the environment of the road has to be approved by them, unless it's forced through by the Department of Transport. In the time since this crash, so many new roads have been built to take traffic around these areas rather than through it that the issue then becomes traffic volume. It's pretty apparent from the film that the road really doesn't carry all that much traffic any more, and it's likely that the vast majority of it is going to be local traffic driven by local people who know of this particular hazard. It's notable that none of the fatalities mention that have happened since this appear to be locals but were visitors to the area. With the height of the parapet wall there it would be quite possible to install multi-layer barriers there without affecting the view other than for those using the road, but that costs a lot of money, particularly in the case of what appears to be likely to be a listed bridge as then different arrangements have to be made regarding installing the barriers. That money has to come out of a very finite pot, and while this road might be listed as an accident black spot, decisions have to be taken regarding the nature of those accidents. If the collisions occurring there involving motor vehicles are damage only then the money that could be spent here is better off being spent elsewhere in a place where the accident history is of collisions resulting in serious injury or death. Unfortunately, collisions involving cyclists don't come into these decisions, partly because cyclists don't pay to use the roads but also because there is no guarantee that any changes made to the road there are going to effect the results of the cyclist collisions. Unless or until there is another major crash there involving a heavy vehicle then it is fairly unlikely any major changes will be made to the road. Changes to signage and road markings may be all that happens...

[@alanwaterworth6464]

@@gosportjamie the road is used by heavy vehicles going to and from the quarry a few miles further on, at the top of Greenhow, as is shown later in the video, and was always quite busy with traffic at weekends and bank holidays as it´s the main road between Skipton and Pateley Bridge. It´s probably only a matter of time before more fatalities occur.

[@francisnewmarch6837]

A moving and sympathetically produced documentary. Well done. Of course my love and blessings to the families and friends involved. Take care. Love from Greece

[@katryna192]

My nana was on this bus, Henrietta pedley sadly she did not survive

[@gascoyneone]

Do you have any photographs of her we could use in the memorial exhibition ?

[@katryna192]

@@gascoyneone Sorry unfortunately I do not

[@Beelaw231063]

crossed dibbles bridge on several occasions without knowing the black history.feels different now crossing it knowing what happened back then

[@daffyduck6582]

Xxx

[@katryna192]

Only photo I have of her is must be in the sixties

[@johnnybeer3770]

As an ex-bus driver I like most old commercial drivers have had brake fade , with the old buses and lorries of the day . Frightening .

[@PillSharks]

I’ve had it and it’s a very scary thing when the brake pedal does nothing despite trying to push it through the floor! This was only back in 2002 I would say, coming down a big hill in Lydney loaded up with bricks, so up around the 44t mark, the truck was an old DAF pulling an old trailer with drum brakes, luckily the exhaust brake held me back enough and by the time I arrived at the bottom of the hill I started to slow down, I remember going out into the middle of the road and people looking at me like I was some idiot! I did everything I should have, approached the hill at slow speed with a low gear selected and exhaust brake set, using the brakes gently to hold her back and then the pedal just went to mush and the wagon started to accelerate! Very scary! Thankfully it didn’t end the same way as these poor people in this coach...RIP

[@845SiM]

If you saw the buses some company’s use for school runs you would disagree that safety has changed.

[@jonathanevans2528]

A nice and fitting tribute - thank you. My Great Gran died in this accident the week after my 5th Birthday. Mabel Chisholm who I sadly didn’t get to know.

[@daffyduck6582]

Xxx

[@aprilhaney4969]

💞

[@gascoyneone]

Sorry to respond so late on but does the family have any photographs of Mabel the Town Council and archives are gathering photographs of the victims : [e-mail]

[@George-nh4fc]

XXX

[@andyhill242]

To my shame, I had never heard of this disaster before now, A good documentary, thank you.

[@phillipecook3227]

Me also - and I was 17 years old at the time.

[@Brodda-Syd]

Me also. I was 10 at the time. But it happened before... www.wikiwand.com/en/Dibbles_Bridge_coach_crash_(1925)

[@garylefevers]

Brodda Syd, wow. Thank you for the information. Stay safe.

[@kevinparkes4084]

The sad thing is that the technology existed at the time to prevent this accident - I remember going on bus trips with my local coach company "Beeline Travel" in the '60's where the buses were equipped with Telma Retarders. These used induction braking on the transmission shaft to prevent runaway in case of primary brake failure. The lack of any road improvement measures in the ensuing period is a shocking inditement of the North Yorkshire County Council's road highways policy - but they will have found the money for plenty of dedicated cycle lanes!

[@andrewtaylor5984]

Riley was virtually a one-man business, and he probably did not maintain his fleet to an acceptable standard. Riley was not only fined, but he was also banned from running a bus company for years, if not life.

[@johnstilljohn3181]

Very sad. This should be more widely known, in memory of the decent people who died...

[@vahvahdisco]

It states at the start of the video that the ladies were well known and highly respected for their charity work. How can they have been so callously forgotten all these years without a memorial ? And surely if there have been accidents before and after this crash, why hasn’t the road been improved ? How many people have to die before something is done about this terrible junction ?!

[@neiloflongbeck5705]

The cost of any changes outweigh the benefits of such a change. After the 1925 runaway on the bank a dign was erected ordering drivers to use a low gear until they get to the bottom of the bank. This accident was caused by the driver not being able to get into a low gear at the top of the bank.

[@babydriver8134]

I would like more signage, but change the road? NO!

[@KebabMusicLtd]

@@neiloflongbeck5705 This is why those who are left to pick up the pieces of such 'accidents' should sue the arse out of the company. This head-in-the-sand attitude of simply dismissing this as a 'terrible accident' is why things didn't change sooner. A £75 fine is hardly going to encourage coach owners to make sure their vehicles are up to code, and poor Government legislation lets them get away with this. Strange to think we once lived in a world where a coach that has to negotiate a steep hill and a sharp bend may at any time lose its gear and braking system due to overheating... This must have been a major problem on all vehicles that were in the business of long haulage. Of course, the cost of replacing these vehicles would have been prohibitive, so the company, councils and governement all looked the other way until such a time as they were made to sit up and take note. Local newspaper The Yorkshire Post staged a trial two weeks after this 'accident': a coach which had been fitted with the retarder was put out of gear and allowed to run away down the hill without braking, and the retarder kept the coach's speed within safe limits. The Dibbles Bridge crash brought the issue to a wider public; ultimately, legislation was passed requiring improved braking systems. That would account for the reluctance of the council to erect a fitting memorial which would serve as a reminder of that malaise.

[@neiloflongbeck5705]

@@KebabMusicLtd considering the average weekly wage for a man was just under £75 and you can then see just how large the fine was. The requirement for magnetic or other retarders was in place for new vehicles but was deemed to be too expensive to fit to older vehicles. It is also well known that such memorials are a cause of distraction and at such a location do we really need another distraction?

[@alanwaterworth6464]

@@neiloflongbeck5705 "the cost of any change outweighs the benefits" ?? what about the cost in human life, damage to vehicles and the bridge, insurance costs? the primary reason for implementing changes is to reduce these factors, particularly the loss of life. I´ve been over this road many times in my youth, the only reason I can see for not improving the safety of the bridge and the descent into it (an emergency escape lane, as used on many other similarly bad hills; the descent off the NY Moors into Sleights down Blue Bank, for example) is that it´s in the Dales National Park and probably that local councillors and *some* residents want it to look pretty and quaint, and are often averse to change, despite the fact that a significant proportion of ppl living in the Dales now aren´t actually from there.

[@rogerbarrett9920]

It's pretty disgraceful that even after all this tragedy that the barriers at this site still look like they wouldn't stop a horse and cart, let alone a commercial vehicle. Surely with some decently designed barriers and speed reducing features, this very flawed stretch of road can be made safe. It's the 21st century, fix it !.

[@neiloflongbeck5705]

Crash barriers give motorists a false sense of security.

[@PurityVendetta]

The entire world shouldn't be designed based on the lowest common denominator.

[@buggs9950]

It doesn't matter what century it is, nothing can be made entirely safe. In fact I wouldn't want to live in that world, what would be the point? An artic can weigh 40+ tons. That would need one hell of a crash barrier.

[@Landie_Man]

There’s an Armco further down which should deflect the impact.

[@salfordladcraigedeane2356]

1975, the year I was born, Sad video, Rest in peace to everyone, ,, 😷🌍✌💖😷

[@TheEllery29]

A truly tragic event. Thank you for remembering it in this way.

[@ajakuk1]

I had never heard of this. How easy the world forget. Thank you for sharing.

[@iainv4092]

All these people who have died there over the years and no changes to the road. Or memorial.

[@sameyers2670]

RIP to all those who died

[@dariusanderton3760]

this is so sad. Grandmothers are the sweetest thing.

[@klaseronen7535]

At around 8:00 tells it all. You will never forget. This tragedy is now known even in Finland. I would like to pay my respect to all the victims of this terrible accident. I also want to offer my condolences to those who lost their loved ones and friends.

[@TheGran8]

Thank you for caring about our loved ones. Today {May 27th} I attended a dedication for the memorial that has been erected to the memory of the ones who died. My Mam was on that coach and even now 47 years later the pain never leaves.

[@jimjoelliejack]

I worked at pateley bridge ambulance station as a paramedic, my colleagues talked about that accident, it was a tragic accident. There was another incident that was similar when a coaches brakes failed coming down greenhow hill into pateley bridge. Vehicles in those days weren’t like modern vehicles. There has been many people killed on Greenhow hill as well, including cyclists.

[@colinmiller5502]

I had a brake fade in an RAF Bedford RL, towing a trailer loaded with 8 diesel generators on a hill in Cornwall, scared the crap out of me, I sat on the grass verge for half an hour until it had cooled down a bit, shaking like a leaf ,happy days.

[@chunkybuster7203]

I don't remember this, terrible! Brilliant documentary though.

[@michaelhymer5043]

My mother, Joan Mary Hymer was one of thirteen survivors of the crash with injuries. We will always miss our dear friends who lost their lives and heart felt respect to the 13 survivors with injuries who carried on with mournful memories of that day.

[@dariusanderton3760]

when they say "Dibbles Bridge" it sometimes sounds like "Devil's Bridge"

[@GEAZER_ASMR]

21:51 is referred to devils bridge in this article. Read the text underneath the headline

[@trek520rider2]

At one time it was blasphemy to say the Devil's name, so they came up with euphemisms Old Nick was one e.g., Dibble another.

[@richardhardisty7006]

I spotted that and wondered if that was an alternate name at the time or was the Daily Mirror reporter just cloth eared and misheard. There are a few Devil's Bridges in the area inc a famous one at Kirkby Lonsdale but my OS map shows this as Dibbles Bridge, with the river Dibb flowing under it, which is the outflow from Grimwith res.

[@timhancock6626]

Other people have died there, and there is now a mesh screen to stop cyclists going over the top of the bridge parapet. It is a very dangerous kinked corner at the bottom of a long descent. Too many people approach it too fast every single day. It was indeed a dreadful tragedy.

[@awelonstudio]

So Sad bless all of the people and there families. SHOCKED to hear no memorials or improvements these people need to be remembered. Hope land owner that won't let the memorial on his land reads this DISCUSSING ATITUDE . It saddens me , Never forget.

[@robinstewart6510]

Would you really want a memorial on your land? Your land gone, with people now coming and going about something you had absolutely no involvement with. Most don't buy land with that in mind. They want to enjoy their land, in peace and quiet.

[@Brigantius]

There's also the question of it encouraging people to park dangerously near to that bend. I think the best memorial would be a short new stretch of road and a new bridge to bypass the corner. Then maybe the old piece of road could become a layby in which a memorial could be placed at road level. However then no doubt cost would come into it and if you know these roads, there are countless tight bends and steep hills on them. Also, I would guess some would argue that the most relevant improvements have since been made to the safety features of the vehicles using the roads.

[@will_levitt926]

@@robinstewart6510 I would definitely have a memorial site on my land

[@will_levitt926]

People died there! There needs to be a memorial where the bus crashed. Those people who died needs to be remembered there

[@robinstewart6510]

@@will_levitt926 .. Good for you. However, you are not the person who owns this land (in video). As I said, what he does with it is his own business. Personally, I prefer not to have strangers roaming around my property, for whatever reason. By the way, don't forget the parking spaces and driveways off the roadway. These people are also going to need somewhere to park.

[@salfordladcraigedeane2356]

This was on TV, I missd it,so I'm grateful ya put it on here, Rest in peace, 😷🌍✌💖😷

[@jimgamble2429]

They won’t change the road layout because the route isn’t busy enough... money again....life’s cheap! 😢

[@mariekatherine5238]

The same conditions exist in the US. There’s a particular on/off ramp to the Northern State Parkway on Long Island, (NY), exit 42, that has several fatal accidents every year. Absolutely nothing has been done to remedy it. Lengthening the ramps and taking the curve out to improve visibility would help, but they won’t bother. Nobody with political connections has been seriously injured or killed there, so it’s not worth the money.

[@robinstewart6510]

They won't change the road because there's nothing to firmly justify it. One accident out of many thousands of vehicles over the years isn't justification.

[@robinstewart6510]

@@mariekatherine5238 .. Are you willing to pay higher taxes to finance all those changes? Of course not. If anything, blame yourself. I don't. The reality is, if they had to make every road in this country perfect, we wouldn't have a dime left in our pockets.

[@mariekatherine5238]

@@robinstewart6510 No need of a raise. Put the existing money to better use.

[@areyouserious3092]

@@mariekatherine5238 I agree here in the UK there has to be three fatal accidents on a single road before a speed camera or traffic calming measures are put in to place so I can only assume that the rural location and low traffic volume are the reason nothing had been done about this particular black spot.

[@CheshireRing]

North Yorkshire road management is awful, and the people who died were not significant to those who call themselves "executives". Same attitude as on the first day of the Somme.

[@jenniferholden9397]

Those 5 executives could have rolled their sleeves up and put some chevrons and warning signs up themselves. Probably too busy going off on fact finding missions.

[@xr6lad]

No doubt they’d argue against their own salary being cut

[@darrenyorke8159]

No comparison to the Somme .but I understand what you meant.

[@Blacklab99]

An incredibly sad story. Such lovely people, so many families bereaved. Very sad.

[@collinblack8474]

I just watched this clip didn't know it had even happened until now. The British government should be ashamed about this for not following through on the recommendations for road safety, that being said. I really do feel sorry for the families that did lose a loved one in this unfortunate accident. I have lived in Newcastle NSW Australia all my life and my brother was born on 27/5/74. That's why it was a shock to me. LEST WE FORGET LADIES🇬🇧✌️🤧. And yes I did tear up 🇭🇲. P.S. I just shared this on Facebook.

[@snowman3630]

SADLY TRAGIC AND NEVER BEEN CHANGED FOR SAFETY , GOD BLESS THOSE FAMILIES AND THOSE TRAGICALLY LOST🙏😞

[@christophernewman5027]

WHY ARE YOU SHOUTING?

[@snowman3630]

@@christophernewman5027 IN CASE YOU CAN'T HEAR ME 🤨🤨🤨😉😉😉

[@connoroleary591]

This film itself is a moving memorial to the tragedy. So much integrity in the people and so articulate. Thank you.

[@trigsretromotors]

Terribly sad story for all involved, it's the first time I've heard about it after catching the end of this documentary on TV last night. I don't know the road but surely if its that tight that a lorry has to straddle the other side then why can't they install a traffic light system like many other places, it would slow it down enough for there never be to a repeat again

[@gosportjamie]

Unfortunately, being involved in a roll over collision in a bus or coach is still likely to have fatal results for some occupants. While massive improvements have been made in strength and nature of body structure, the vehicles have got proportionally heavier. As a bus or coach has a lot of glass area for passengers to see out of, there is inevitably less area for roll over protection to be built in. If a coach ends up on its' roof, extensive crushing is still going to be the result, even on vehicles where the glass is a stressed member in the construction. The most important advances are systems that hugely minimise the chances of such a vehicle getting into that position...

[@majorsteventoddretired5619]

In 1971 I was driving an old ARC Regent double decker with a full load of passengers, as we went trough a left hand bend the bus leaned over to the off-side and it went off the road across a grass verge. The front wheel on the off-side dropped into a shallow ditch, causing the bus to topple over towards to off-side. The front of the bus was in a field while the rear was still on the verge beside the road. Eighty people including the crew got off "Unhurt". I got fined for driving without due care, now that bus returned to normal service but later pulled up at a bus stop, at that point the nearside front wheel went into a deep pothole in the road, the front suspension collapsed. I got an apology from the company and that was all I got.

[@roydrink]

Did you get your fine back?

[@highpath4776]

Left hand bend and it went to the off-side ( right?)

[@majorsteventoddretired5619]

@@highpath4776 - Yes indeed it went right because the suspension was very old and weak the bus was leaning to the offside and the body touched the offside front wheel causing it to swerve, full double decker average weight around 17 tons. Not even Charles Atless could have moved the steering wheel. The wind was also blowing from left to right across the road.

[@majorsteventoddretired5619]

@@roydrink No because the union paid the fine, I guess they tried to get it back.

[@PurityVendetta]

Isn't it a driver's responsibility to check the roadworthiness of his vehicle before taking to the road. I remember a company called BC Travel which operated clapped out heaps of coaches on school runs over rural roads. I've never been on a coach since I saw the state of them and the very poor standards of driving.

[@Turnbull50]

I never knew about this terrible crash. The place should at least have chevrons before the bridge.

[@neiloflongbeck5705]

A sign warning of a 1 In 6 slope with a sign ordering drivers to use a low gear down the slope at the top of the slope was deemed enough warning. What use would chevrons have been in this accident? The driver missed his gear change and the brakes alone weren't going to stop the bus.

[@canturgan]

If you see 'slow' written on the road surface, that indicates a fatal accident spot.

[@neiloflongbeck5705]

"There's nothing to tell you where the corner is." The Highway Code tells you to drive no faster than the distance you can see ahead that you can stop in. EDIT (after 2nd viewing) - warning sign of sharp bend to right seen, comes in to view at 25:00 and a cound of seconds later you see the right hand bend you were warned about and about 14 seconds after the sign you are at the bend. The left hand bend is gentle enough not to need a warning sign and is clearly visible from a decent distance, the right hand would come as an unpleasant surprise.

[@neiloflongbeck5705]

@@columbmurray in some cases there is absolutely nothing anyone could do to prevent deaths and injuries occurring. And even when they do, people get killed. Take the case of William Husskison as a prime example. He was run over by The Rocket on the opening day of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway. Passengers had been ordered to not get out of the trains when they stopped to fake on coal and water, he got out to great the Duke of Wellingtonand when The Rocket approached he failed to get out of the way and died from his injuries.

[@andrewallen9993]

Nail. Hit. Head on! Perfectly correct!

[@alanwaterworth6464]

the section of video you´re quoting, the chap driving mentions that the bus had already lost control of the brakes some distance before the right hand bend sign.

[@neiloflongbeck5705]

@@alanwaterworth6464 yes and he a,so said that there were no warning signs. Warning signs on slopes pre-date motor vehicles, being put up by cycling clubs. By the 1930s they were compulsory for both slopes and sharp bends or bends that could not be seen a reasonable distance ahead.

[@alanwaterworth6464]

@@neiloflongbeck5705 I think he meant there´s no warning sign sufficiently far enough up the hill: there is a gradient sign near the top but that´s all. As mentioned in other comments, gearboxes at that time were still largely crash boxes and offered little to no retard braking especially if you were already going too fast to engage a lower gear. Ironic that you mention signage for cyclists, there are signs warning cyclists of steep gradients and sharp bends further along on the same road, on the descent down from Greenhow into Pateley Bridge itself. Also further up in the Dales, on the B6160 between Buckden and Aysgarth ( I used to cycle all over the Dales so I remember seeing them)

[@stinkerboo5028]

Does anyone know what year this documentary was filmed ? TIA

[@gascoyneone]

2019

[@stinkerboo5028]

@gascoyneone Thanks very much indeed for that ....,I didn't know it was filmed so recently

[@RuthShelton-ou4id]

​@@gascoyneone Thank you for letting us know about what happened there. We all need to just step outside & see the beautiful nature God has provided us with-- put the phone's down-- shut the world out for a bit and say a "thank you prayer" for haven woke up another day. What we take for granted, always planning for what's up ahead-- instead of being great-full -- for the moments we're in today. Tomorrow isn't promised to anyone. I saw this on a headstone when I was ten. Remember me as you pass by -- As you are now so once was I. As I am now soon you shall be. So prepare for death and follow me. Kind of brings it home huh? I'm not saying to always think about 'death" -- more like -- just don't take loved ones & life for granted. Hope the above didn't sound dumb -- it's just my 2 cent's on how this video moved me. There's no time 'limit' for getting over sad events-- each person -- handles it in their own way. I like to think the flowers in the stream made the sprites there happy -- if any have chosen to hang about. Again-- thank you for the careing way this video was presented.❤

[@MARKETMAN6789]

I can't remember hearing of these accidents ,what is unbelievable is that there's been more accidents and the road and the signage has not been improoved A very Well informative and put together video ,very tradjick,very nice people from a nice community

[@labazs1964]

such a terrible tragedy I was 11 at the time so only vaguely remember it but am amazed after the number of tragedies on this stretch of road and bridge there is no better signposting now. How that lorry driver got out was nothing short of a miracle terrible

[@neilhobson3624]

I know it was a long time ago but these people speak with great humility. It must have been awful. Like the gentleman says, nobody was looking for heads to roll. Good bunch are northerners. Salt of the earth 👍.

[@xr6lad]

I do agree with the land owner. Why should he have a memorial on his land that people will be tempted or expect to walk to at any time with his privacy and unknown damage. Dont put it on him as the bad guy. The council need to buy the land if they want it down there. And they certainly can put it on the bridge abutments above. Nothing stopping them doing that. Or even renaming the bridge.

[@stinkerboo5028]

What a load of rubbish you speak

[@sheilahammond3140]

From what I understood, he was not prepared at present to accept it, whilst nothing has been done to improve safety. I can't blame him. There could be more accidents at that spot. I am sure that he must feel sad that so many have died there, on his land. Such a beautiful place, too. Nobody should feel resentful towards him. Having a memorial stone there would attract visitors to a place that is not safe, and holds so many painful memories. It's better if relatives see the beautiful place restored to nature, and have some privacy to pray and send their roses down the stream. The memorial can be placed in the town centre. Condolences to all the relatives of those lovely ladies, and of the driver too. ❤️

[@stinkerboo5028]

@@sheilahammond3140 He is not prepared at present to accept it you say ?? It's been nearly 46 bloody years you idiot !! I would like to meet that landowner, because my auntie died in that disaster, but cowards like that landowner never show their face of course do they, what is his or her name eh ?

[@thesmallerhalf1968]

@@stinkerboo5028 the only ‘idiot’, if there is one here, is you, getting all angry and abusive for no rational reason. Memorials attract people and this is one corner that hardly needs people stopping or getting distracted. The landowner is entitled to his position, it is his land and apparently reasons for his stance that he he sees as perfectly reasonable. And while you are busy abusing other people who disagree with you, what have you done personally in the past 46 years to memorialise this tragedy?

[@stinkerboo5028]

@@thesmallerhalf1968 I have done a hell of a lot in the past 46 years as I had a relative killed in the crash, other than that I do not have to explain myself to the likes of you, and it is none of your business at all

[@Biffo1262]

In 1975 ALL brigades had pneumatic and hydraulic cutting gear but in many cases they just aren't portable enough and the good old hacksaw and bolt croppers often work better. Simply a case of 'horses for courses' but they most certainly were available in 1975.

[@chris_A8502]

A touching and heartfelt documentary about such a sad event. Disappointing to hear that the land owner won't allow a memorial to be erected at the site. I'm guessing that if another unfortunate accident happens at that blackspot they'll not be the first to offer assistance!.

[@juliaforsyth8332]

Rubbish!

[@chris_A8502]

@@juliaforsyth8332 care to elaborate?.

[@CardboardCockney]

Incidentally, a similar accident occurred at the same location 50 years earlier but that occasion ‘only’ seven people died. It seems that we are bit slow in learning lessons here

[@hhairball9]

I can't stop crying for all those people! That was a very emotional and good documentary, thank you!

[@snakeplissken526]

I was spent my childhood near there and I always thought it was called Devil's Bridge.

[@sheilahammond3140]

Snake Plissken Yes. I saw a sign saying that, in the video. You grew up in a beautiful place!

[@joebryant5722]

An excellent, thoughtful, sad, and informative piece. Very well put together. All the best to Thornaby it's residents and the Town Council for a safe future.

[@michellerenner6880]

I had a thought; the memorial didn’t happen right away because an entire generation of town organizers lost their lives that day.

[@Dandle01]

What a horrific accident that's been largely forgotten. My thoughts go out to all those involved and thank you for making the documentary.

[@TheMaggsy1]

I don't understand why only some buses have seatbelts

[@Clyde_Dev]

You forgot about the dock yard bus incident

[@patriciadryden479]

Reporter knocking on the door asking how do you feel about losing your mum. 😤

[@markleaning107]

The poor lorry driver and the very kind gentleman who helped him what a Saint

[@LesD9]

No sign of the Thornaby Town Hall stone on Google Maps. Did it happen?

[@gascoyneone]

Just through planning regs- estimated late 2021

[@matthewbrown2037]

I can't believe the landowner has refused permission for a simple memorial to such a terrible accident to be put on his land. What a selfish and miserable bastard. It's only a small amount of space, and I can't see how it could present any kind of problem for them. I also can't believe more hasn't been done to make that corner safer, as accidents obviously still occur there.

[@JohnJacobSchmidtt]

It'd attract visitors,visitors would stop and may not pay attention to where they stop. They might try to take pieces of the memorial or vandalize it. I can picture visitors stopping and taking selfies and getting run over or cars hitting each other. It's not the land owner's responsibility to do a memorial. And perhaps they are traumatized by what happened and it hurts them mentally to even think about the tragedy.

[@centrifugedestroyer2579]

It might not be the best idea to draw attention to a spot that can only be reached via such a dangerous road. The best service to the victims would be the improvement of the road and bridge and a memorial in a more accessible space, like in the city center or something like that. I don't want to think about people who come to pay their respects fall victim to the same stretch of road again.

[@mariekatherine5238]

The man’s gram came to tell him goodbye.

[@shanerr7252]

Theres a simular corner in canada where the same thing happened

[@highpath4776]

I think it was this incident which led to a change in the construction standards for coach rooves and window pillars (but that might have been a later one involving school children). The brakes should have been tested after the re-line had occured, at least this would have been noted any problem them, and drivers are responsible for both walk around inspection before starting daily driving duties, and not to drive with passengers if in their opinion something is not correct (these have been regulations brought in over the last 45 years to certificates of professional competance - for coach managers and psv drivers

[@davidjones332]

Prior to this date most coaches were basically timber framed, as there was no requirement for rollover protection. All that changed with the move to steel framing and a requirement for proper crash testing. If you've ever seen the brake linings used on lightweight Ford and Bedford coaches back then, they were pretty narrow and easily cooked on a long downhill run. Also, the gearbox synchromesh, if any, was pretty feeble, so if you botched a downshift you stood very little chance of getting back into any gear. In fairness to the driver, the brake fault was probably not noticeable until he was faced with this exceptionally long steep hill.

[@DIYG-dad]

I sat and watched this today it is so so sad

[@michaelhosking8150]

It is a shame the landowner refused permission for a memorial to be placed there.

[@CardboardCockney]

He/she should be identified and pressure put on to review such a heartless decision

[@juliaforsyth8332]

@@CardboardCockney He staed that it was too dangerous to have one there because of parking cars. And he is right.

[@CardboardCockney]

@@juliaforsyth8332 in your opinion of course.

[@pauloakes5718]

Them tyres were as bald as a coot

[@ferrydriver1]

What a heart warming tribute. ❤️

[@andrewallen9993]

Foot brake failed, then the hand brake, then driver in the wrong gear for the speed? Or incompetence?

[@LesD9]

"...the accident was caused by the inability of the driver to negotiate the bend, owing to deficient brakes on the coach, due to possible lack of care in the maintenance of the braking system." Inquest finding.

[@andrewallen9993]

@@LesD9 both hand/ parking brake and foot brake failed at the same time as the clutch/ gearbox? I have a VW split window kombi with 60 year old drum brakes and I change into second gear at the TOP of steep hills when fully loaded with 1125kg ( I have had a hydraulic pipe fracture before and the hand brake takes twice as long to stop the car)

[@babydriver8134]

The sign may be new, but it clearly states 16% for the downgrade. 16% is nasty, make no mistake. Still they need more warnings of the various dangers, curves, single lane etc. etc. We may yet meet these ladies in Heaven, in Jesus' name, Amen.

[@lindsaypeterholden2701]

What a sad Person the Land Owner must be not allowing a memorial on His land !!!!!!!!! Shamefull indeed.God bless all the Ladies.Tragic story.Please,can someone explain why the Road has not been improved after all these accidents?

[@roberthuron9160]

After the Abbots Ripton disaster on the Great Northern Railway,forced the the then railways to make improvements in signals and braking,but a road disaster of similar proportion gets NO ATTENTION,and with the amount of money spent on highways,you would think that a known area that so accident prone,would be given a high priority! But even in the US,that attitude prevails that accidents just happen, and it's always the drivers fault! How many deaths does it take,before the political establishment wakes up,or would it take a death of one or two Lords,to effect change! Remember the Somme,as it took 30,000 lives to get noticed,and the Generals were never punished for the destruction of Britain's manhood for two generations! Will they ever learn????

[@rosannecoffman1933]

In those days before cell phones. Brits with their strength and stiff upper lip

[@kougerat5388]

Yep "keep calm and carry on" there's no point in wallowing in self pity ! I'm glad to say my mum has instilled that in me !

[@2H80vids]

Interesting that the landowner has refused permission for the memorial. First thought was "what an a***hol*" but I wonder what his reasoning was. With no parking available, could a memorial lead to bad parking at the roadside, making a dangerous corner even worse? Could people slowing down/stopping to look at it cause further accidents? I don't know the answers to these but his decision 𝑚𝑎𝑦 not be a selfish one. My other thought has to be: aren't reporters pondlife?

[@brianfearn4246]

Unfortunately you can put up a million warning signs - road marking but most will be ignored like the good old red traffic lights.. I was going to to fast to stop .. 200 mph vehicles. 20 mph brains

[@tessgregory987]

I don't understand why the signage on the road hasn't been improved. Nothing seems to have changed - there will be another accident some day. You can see vehicles slamming on their brakes as they hit the corner unexpectedly. It's outrageous.

[@dianebree774]

Despicable this has not been rectified. Countdown markers , 30,20, and traffic lights ....in Lanarkshire we have a notorious railway bridge you go under at the bottom of a hill ,after a blind bend . Signage ,countdown markers, traffic lights , red road surfaces and turned into a single file road through and under the bridge solved this death trap . They should re name the bridge to "ladies bridge"

[@dottietalksalot5033]

This was on my 6th birthday.....I had never heard of this accident until today...a very moving story x

[@jacquelinesmith8029]

BS!

[@GWAYGWAY1]

At the end of my road at Dover, there was a similar crash but of a tram that ran away down a steep hill it failed to make the bend and overturned killing 16 and injuring many more. That was 1917 ,the driver leapt off leaving them to it , the brakes did not slow it as it was really heavily overloaded.

[@terrytowelling1807]

shocking to think the same crash happened in 1925 and cyclists are still dying there. Get the road altered

[@paulp96275]

God Bless❤️

[@rosannecoffman1933]

A gentler time??? People deserve compensation for an unnecessary accident!

[@etangdescygnes]

Curiously, the second worst ever road crash from a British perspective was virtually identical. On Monday 27 September 1999 a Springbok Atlas tour bus carrying elderly British tourists was coming down the Long Tom Pass, on a long stretch of the R37 with much the same gradient as the road to the Dibbles Bridge. The South African driver failed to apply the brakes before the bus was going too fast to maintain control. The bus careered off a curve and rolled three times before coming to a stop, 4 km (2.5 miles) from Lydenburg. 26 of the British passengers and the South African tour guide died immediately. 1 of 3 critically injured passengers died about 8 days later, bringing the British death toll to 27. The driver was severely injured but survived, and was convicted for reckless driving.

[@andrewallen9993]

Driver of bus guilty of driving whilst black?

[@rjl110919581]

thank you for detail video sorry hearing that did much to the road at the point of where the bus around over. thank to for people time did work helping and safety living after all that

[@dinahjackson8146]

What a TRAGEDY !!! 😢 My heart and eyes cry for those poor families left behind... SHAME on that LANDOWNER DENYING the MEMORIAL being setup... NOOO ❤! 😢😢😢

[@juliaforsyth8332]

Too dangerous because parked cars on dangerous road. He is right.

[@nightynightjill]

Shame on the land owner for denying an onsite memorial to those poor Ladies that died!

[@michaelemery5219]

There was a similar accident at Frome recently , and all the passengers survived thanks to the seatbelts and the.rollbar structure of the coach. Coaches and buses of the 60's and 70's were of very flimsy construction and no seatbelts.

[@michaelemery5219]

I was at school at the time and l can remember these coaches on the school run, l did not use them as I lived not far from the school

[@PeterShieldsukcatstripey]

Must have been such a horror scene. Thanks for all who helped.

[@tommysdreamhamilton3216]

So very sad, to hear this, glad some ppl lived. So sad...

[@dennisbean7336]

RIP to all them should never have happened

[@buffplums]

They need to replace the bridge and straighten the road

[@TheEulerID]

There are thousands of roads and bridges like than in Britain. Changing just one makes no practical difference as the next would be elsewhere. It make much more sense to make the vehicles much safer so this sort of crash is much less likely, and the consequences a lot less. Stronger bus bodies, seatbelts and better, less failure prone brakes. That would also save lives in other ways too.

[@jimjoelliejack]

Chris that bridge is one of many in North Yorkshire, it would be so impractical to do that to that road and bridge, the vehicle tech is the way forward.

[@buffplums]

@@jimjoelliejack oh ok 👌

[@robschofield749]

Fucking idiot

[@timtec3000]

What a desperately sad story. Those poor souls.

[@dawnbetts400]

That must be the saddest thing i have ever watched .

[@juliecasey5196]

Such very sad stories. May they all Forever Rest In Peace

[@PeterShieldsukcatstripey]

Such a tragedy. Rest in peace.

[@loobylooroden6176]

RIP beautiful ladies 😇

[@ianwilliamson2980]

A terrible crash it was

[@terryodams2244]

God bless the Driver. RIP

[@jamesrice4072]

Touching.

[@terryodams2244]

Rip to All the lady's who passed away.. l

[@godsson7787]

Great doc. ❤

[@trecker59]

R.I.P.