Hinkley workers need hospital treatment after crash

More than 24 Hinkley Point C workers have been treated in hospital following a bus crash yesterday (17 January), with some of the injured requiring surgery.

Some 70 people were travelling on the bus when the incident occurred on the A39 near Cannington, west of Bridgwater, Somerset, at around 6am yesterday.

The crash was declared a major incident, with 54 people treated at the scene. There were no fatalities but a number of workers were admitted to hospital for overnight stays.

According to NHS Somerset, 26 workers were treated at the Accident & Emergency unit at Musgrove Park Hospital in Taunton. A further three were treated at Southmead Hospital in Bristol.

A spokesperson for NHS Somerset said yesterday: “As of 3pm today, 27 patients were treated at the Minor Injuries Unit in Bridgwater and a further 26 were treated at the Emergency Department at Musgrove Park Hospital for injuries consistent with a serious traffic collision.

“A small number require surgery and some have been admitted to inpatient wards. A further three patients were taken to Southmead Hospital, Bristol, where they received treatment, but none have needed to be admitted to hospital.”

Following the accident, travel to and from Hinkley Point C, which is situated around eight miles from the crash scene, was suspended. Police have now reopened the road. Around 8,500 workers are currently on site building two new nuclear reactors for EDF.

According to EDF, the double-decker bus involved was operated by Somerset Passenger Solutions, whose services are used exclusively by Hinkley workers. There are 320 bus services to and from site each day, with 5,500 workers travelling by bus from local park-and-ride and accommodation centres.

In the hours following the incident, EDF stated: “A bus carrying members of the Hinkley Point C workforce has been involved in a traffic incident on the A39 in Bridgwater. Emergency services are on the scene and travel to and from the site has been suspended.”

The shutdown is the second in two months, after Bylor employee Jason Waring died in a road traffic incident involving construction machinery at the site in November.