BUS veered on to the wrong side of the road after a lens dropped out of the driver's spectacles, an inquest heard on Tuesday.

The single deck bus crashed head-on with a van travelling in the opposite direction, the inquest heard.

Both drivers were trapped in their wrecked vehicles. Van driver Mark Astbury, aged 28, died later in hospital.

A verdict of accidental death was recorded on Mr Astbury, of Fox Street, Warrington, who suffered multiple injuries in the accident in Parkside Road, Newton-le-Willows.

PC Stuart Hamer told the hearing he went to the scene of the crash on December 19 last year. He saw bus driver Colin Morrison still in the driving seat, bleeding from a head injury and noticed a lens was missing from his spectacles.

He asked if the spectacles had been damaged in the crash but Mr Morrison said: "No - it fell out. That's what I was searching for."

He told him he had been instructed to use Parkside Road instead of the main A49 because his vehicle was overweight for a bridge which was being refurbished.

The inquest heard that later in a statement, Mr Morrison said when the lens fell from his spectacles he felt around on the floor for it but did not take his eyes off the road. He then looked in his wing mirrors to see if it was safe to stop and when he looked up realised the bus had drifted on to the wrong side of the road.

He tried to correct it but was unable to do so because the road seemed slippery. He saw the van approaching and was unable to avoid a collision.

PC Ian McKay said the road surface was wet at the time but he saw no evidence of it being slippery.

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