Bus carrying fruit pickers crashes into building in Lleida, leaving 43–46 injured, four critical
A bus carrying 55 seasonal fruit pickers veered off a central Lleida street and slammed into a government building on Wednesday morning, injuring between 43 and 46 people, four of them critically. The driver, recently hired and accompanied by an instructor, lost control of the vehicle, which narrowly missed pedestrians on the pavement.
The accident
At around 7:20 a.m. on Wednesday, a bus operated by Autocars Gamón was travelling along Rambla Ferran in Lleida, heading towards Pont Vell, when it suddenly changed direction and mounted the pavement. The vehicle, carrying 55 passengers, struck another large vehicle before crashing into the façade of the Diputación building and a bus stop. Security camera footage shows the bus moving normally moments before the abrupt swerve. No pedestrians were hit, though the mayor said it was a matter of centimetres.
Victims and response
The bus was transporting seasonal workers to fruit-picking jobs in the Segrià sud region, with stops in Alcarràs, Soses, Aitona, Seròs and Massalcoreig. Between 43 and 46 people were injured, according to different official tallies. Four were in critical condition, and between seven and nine others were seriously hurt. The remaining passengers sustained minor injuries. Eleven ambulances, a medical helicopter and 14 fire crews attended the scene. The most seriously injured were taken to Hospital Arnau de Vilanova. A team of psychologists was also deployed.
It is one of the most serious accidents we have suffered in Lleida. It is true that we do not have to mourn personal losses, but the volume of injured has been quite shocking.
The driver and investigation
The mayor confirmed that the driver had only recently joined the company and was accompanied by an instructor, a veteran driver. The instructor suffered severe injuries and had a limb amputated. The driver was in shock but physically unharmed. Some passengers told emergency services that the driver had been warned about speeding in previous days. The Mossos d'Esquadra and the Guàrdia Urbana have opened an investigation, examining both possible human error and mechanical failure.
It was by centimetres that they did not run over the people who were walking along the Rambla at that moment, but there are no injured pedestrians.
Official reactions
The president of the Generalitat, Salvador Illa, expressed his support for the victims and their families and thanked the emergency services. The city council has urged caution until the full facts are established.
