A Stockton mum has spoke of her terror after what was supposed to be the start of a family holiday turned into a fireball nightmare.
Kayleigh Wilkinson, 27, from Oxbridge was on her way to Disneyland Paris with her sister, Sarah Dailey and her four-year-old daughter, Amelie-Jayde Firth when the bus they were travelling on burst into flames after colliding with a tanker on a French motorway.
The 50 seater, National Holidays coach left Stockton at 5.30am on Friday morning. Following a brief stop at Peron, the coach was only 45 minutes away from the resort in Oise when the accident happened.
Kayleigh, who was travelling on her 27th birthday, said: “Most of the passengers were asleep. We heard what sounded like a gunshot but found when the bus was jolted forward that we had been hit by a truck.
“I woke to see the windscreen shatter and I heard the driver break the emergency exit at the front of the bus.
“We all were in shock and didn’t know what to do until a passenger from the back of the bus yelled, ‘we need to get off this bus, the tanker is on fire.’
“We picked all the kids up and headed for the front of the bus. Myself and one of the fathers were passing children out the front door to safety before getting ourselves off the bus.
“I didn’t even get chance to cry or break down I just sort of switched to mother mode and protected the children. I was so scared watching everything I had brought with us burn thinking five minutes ago that could have been us in there.”
Kayleigh and her four-year-old daughter Amelie-Jayde Firth
Kayleigh and the rest of the passengers finally arrived at their destination at 3.15am yesterday.
All of the families on the bus were left with no belongings other than the clothes they were wearing.
Kayleigh, who is also mum to 11 month old Jacob-Leigh Firth, said: “We have our passports and the clothes we were wearing on our backs. I managed to get our coats but I later gave mine to a family of a little boy who didn’t get their coats to keep them warm until the emergency services came to help.”
National Holidays have given the families money to help with food and clothes during their time in France.
Having decided to continue with their trip, Kayleigh said: “I wanted to stay with my little girl because it’s our first holiday and she has been looking forward to it for a long time. It was a joint birthday and Christmas present for her.
“I want my little girl to remember Disney for the good, not for the trauma she has been involved in.
“She wanted to have dinner with the characters but now we do not have the money to do so. Her favourite characters are Anna and Elsa. Hopefully we’ll see them.”
Another lorry and a bus were also involved in the crash and two people were killed from those vehicles.
The A1 autoroute motorway was closed for several hours while around 70 firefighters battled to put it out.
Due to come home tomorrow, Kayleigh said: “I can’t wait to be home and see my 11 month old son and family. It will be a very anxious journey but I’ll be happy to be home.”
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