A pair of visitors who were caught up on last week’s bus crash have praised the Island for their compassion.

The collision at the bottom of Spurling Hill, outside of Great Things, resulted in eight people being taken to hospital for minor injuries.

In a letter to The Royal Gazette, Halifax resident Ross Towler said he and his wife were on board the bus when the collision occurred last Wednesday.

“We were sitting in the seats immediately behind the driver,” Mr Towler wrote. “My wife was badly bruised and hurt having been thrown against the frame behind the driver. The speeding of the bus, and the horrendous noises of the smashing glass and screech of metal tearing metal was terrifying.

“I thought the children reacted very well, little screaming or yelling, and the adults looking after them were terrific in trying to get the windows open and calming the children.”

He said he wanted to thank the Bermudian public who acted “unbelievably kindly and effectively” in the wake of the collision.

“From the six or so men who formed a human ‘safety net’ outside the bus to gently get us to the ground, to the staff at RenaissanceRe who did everything they could to reassure and comfort the passengers, the emergency measures folks who quickly and carefully tended to us, the firefighters, Police, staff at the hospital — everyone at the scene responded exactly as one would hope they would to help the victims.

“I especially want to thank the staff at the Princess Hamilton where we were staying. They were so kind and compassionate in giving every assistance in getting through this ordeal, the managers, front desk staff and doormen, (Stan we thank you for your prayers). No one could have done more. Also WestJet staff were marvellous in arranging for us to get onto our flight the next day as smoothly as possible.

“Everyone who helped should stand tall and be very proud of how you helped people in need in the most caring and compassionate way. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.”

He said the only “sour note” was the bus driver herself, who he said did little to assist in the aftermath of the crash other than stand up and tell a woman trying to open the front door that it would not open.

An in-depth investigation into the bus crash has been undertaken by the Department of Public Transportation and the Bermuda Police Service. Director of the Department of Public Transportation, Mr. Dan Simmons, said on Friday that considerable work still needed to be done to determine the cause of the crash.

“It is early in the investigation and there is still much work that needs to be done before any final determination can be made,” he added. “Collisions, such as this one, are a very rare occurrence and it is important that we do our due diligence and gather as much information as possible to assist in determining the probable cause.”

The DPT is requesting that any person who may have witnessed the collision to please contact the DPT for information purposes. You can call the Operations Manager on 292-3851.