A 15-year-old girl named Jessica Baker has died in a school bus crash on the M53 in Wirral. She was a passenger on a coach carrying students to Calday Grange Grammar School and West Kirby Grammar School in Merseyside when the bus collided with a reservation on the motorway, killing the coach driver Stephen Shrimpton. 58 people were involved in the crash, with a 14-year-old boy being treated in a hospital for life-changing injuries, and 52 others taken to a clearing center in Wallasey. Out of the 52 people, 39 were released with no further treatment needed, and 13 were treated for minor injuries.
The family of Jessica issued a photograph of her while the police requested privacy. “Jessica Baker sadly died as a result of the collision on the M53 northbound carriageway earlier today,” said a police statement. Emergency services, including two air ambulances, were immediately called to the scene of the crash, between junction 4 at Bebington and junction 5 in Hooton. The motorway was closed to facilitate an investigation into the circumstance of the crash, and Highways England expected it to be closed for the rest of the day.
Specialist support is being offered to the families involved, and children from both schools who witnessed the crash will be provided with specialist trauma support. Birkenhead MP Mick Whitely expressed his condolence: “The community will come together to support the families involved in the absolute tragedy.” Merseyside Police canceled a scheduled closure of the Birkenhead Tunnel from 9 pm after the motorway’s closure. Alder Hey Children’s Hospital and North West Ambulance Service declared major incidents, but Alder Hey stood down after some time.
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