POLICE have this morning issued a renewed appeal for witnesses to last night's horrific crash in which a bus and a coach collided head in a village street, leaving one man dead and four injured.
The accident happened shortly after 4pm in the village of Newfield, two miles from Chester-le-Street, in County Durham.
Police have this morning revealed that the bus driver who died came from the Chester-le-Street area, but his identity is not being released until all his relatives have been informed. He suffered multiple injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene.
The driver of the coach - a 70-seat vehicle owned by Nightingales of Stanley - remains in a critical condition in Newcastle General Hospital.
Three passengers on the bus were taken to hospital following the crash.
A 69-year-old, from Pelton Fell, suffered fractures to the pelvis and internal injuries and was taken to the James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough by air ambulance. His condition this morning was described as comfortable and stable.
Two women on the bus were treated at the University Hospital of North Durham for minor injuries and were discharged last night. They are aged 72 and 50 and both come from the village of Newfield.
Witnesses to the crash are asked to call PC Christine Wood of Durham Police on 0345-6060365.
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