Fatal crash coach brakes tested

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/england/7587647.stm

Version 0 of 1.

A forensic specialist will examine the braking system of a coach which crashed near Alton Towers in Staffordshire.

Piotr Wolski, 26, from Poland, died when the coach carrying migrant workers from Northamptonshire hit two cars and rolled down an embankment last week.

Staffordshire Police said the tests on the coach's mechanics were part of "detailed work" to try to find the cause of the collision.

Four people, including the coach driver, remain in hospital.

The coach driver is in a critical but stable condition, while three women are in a stable condition, a spokesman for the force said.

A total of 71 people were injured in the collision on the evening of 18 August.

The migrant workers, who had been based at Lutton Farm, in Oundle, had been on a day trip to Alton Towers when the crash happened in Station Road, Alton.

Passenger interviews

Ch Insp John Maddox said an examination of the coach would continue until next week.

"This is complex, detailed work which is anticipated to take some time," he said.

He said interviews with passengers of the coach had been useful to the inquiry.

"Detectives from our major investigation department received fantastic co-operation from the passengers, with support from their interpreters and staff at Lutton Farm, which meant their witness interviews took less time than anticipated," he said.

"We are now building a detailed picture of events leading up to the crash but are still appealing for witnesses, or people who helped at the crash scene, who have not yet come forward to contact us. "

Special services were held at three churches in Alton on Sunday for those injured.