Pembrokeshire school bus crash: Mystery surrounds man's death

Chris John's car veered from one side of the carriageway into the path of the oncoming school bus

Crash investigators have been unable to explain why a man drove his car into an oncoming school bus last year.

Christopher John, 31, from Clunderwen, Pembrokeshire, died at the scene on the A478.

Seventeen schoolchildren from Ysgol y Preseli were injured in the crash on 17 May 2021.

An inquest in Haverfordwest found Mr John had not attempted to brake and there were no signs of defects on the car or a medical emergency.

Mr John was driving southbound on the A478 towards Llandissilio, after he had completed his second night shift of the week at the Cliff Hotel in Gwbert, the inquest heard.

His BMW X5 veered from one side of the carriageway into the path of the oncoming school bus.

Witnesses said Mr John was travelling at 55mph (89km/h), and the school bus was travelling at 37mph (60km/h) when the crash happened between Llandissilio and Efailwen.

The bus was travelling from Tenby to Crymych in Pembrokeshire when the crash happened

Giving evidence, PC Matt Fraser, a forensic collision investigator, said there was no defects on either vehicle and no sign of medical emergency.

He added there was no indication Mr John had attempted to brake before the head-on collision and it would not have been possible for the bus driver to avoid the crash.

The inquest that Mr John died of "multiple traumatic injuries to his upper and lower extremities".

Acting senior coroner for Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire, Paul Bennett, said there was "no real understanding" as to why the collision happened.

He concluded Mr John died as a result of a road traffic collision.