A BUS driver is being hailed a hero after steering his single decker away from houses and into a park after it ran out of control.

Of the six passengers on board, four were taken to hospital following a terrifying end to the journey through Dormanstown, near Redcar.

Three casualties suffered bruising and shock, and an elderly woman had leg injuries and cuts to her head after the incident at 10am on Saturday.

The Arriva bus was travelling around a corner into South Avenue when it ploughed through a low fence and hurtled 30 yards before hitting a tree on a grassy play area.

Katrina Newcombe, who lives opposite the crash scene, said she heard a loud crunching sound as the bus came to rest.

“A family member called for an ambulance and I ran over to help,” she said. “I could hear screams coming from the bus.

“We were told that the accelerator got stuck on the bus, so the driver could either hit the houses or go into the park. I think what he did was very brave.”

Craig Ramsome opened the exit door and helped everyone off the bus except elderly Nancy Stainsby, who had boarded at the stop before the accident.

“Her head looked as if it had been slashed with a Samurai sword and her handbag was covered in blood. A lady I helped telephoned her husband and she then passed out.”

The force of the impact uprooted the tree and dragged it under the number 64 bus, which had been bound for Redcar.

Neighbour Rachael Finlay said the playing field was filled with people ready to help the victims.

“I kept running in and out of the house making people sweet tea. I was very shaken up afterwards,”

she said.

“My son plays football there. I can’t bear to think about how devastating it could have been.

“We believe that accelerator on the bus got stuck as it was coming round the corner and it lurched forward. If it were not for the trees, the houses behind would have been hit.”

Paul Hodgson, Redcar fire station watch manager, said crews helped paramedics treat five injured people, including the driver.

“The crash was a severe impact as the front of the bus had caved in. Passengers onboard would have been flying about,” he said.

A spokesman for Cleveland Police said the bus had been taken away to be examined and an investigation was under way.

Tony Batty, area manager south at Arriva, said CCTV onboard the bus would help establish the cause of the collision, but stressed it was too early to speculate.

“Our first concerns are with the passengers and the driver,” he said. “We are working closely with the police to investigate the circumstances of the accident.”