A GOOD Samaritan came to the aid of a 42-year-old man who suffered an eye injury, after the bus he was travelling on crashed into a skip in Chippenham town centre.

Alistair McIntyre rushed to the aid of the only passenger on board the APL Travel bus, a complete stranger who he knows only as Mark, when it collided with the skip on The Causeway at 6.15pm on Tuesday.

“I heard the crash but I didn’t see it as I was coming round the corner from the Buttercross through the centre of town,” said the 28-year-old, who works as a deputy manager at the Dorothy House Furniture Shop in Chippenham.

“I came round the corner and I could see the bus pushed up against the skip and there was glass scattered everywhere and debris from where the skip had been pushed along by about 30 feet.

“The driver was wandering around on his phone but Mark was quite shaken. He said he was going to see his daughter in Devizes and got a call from his family and he broke down in tears as I think it began to sink in what had happened.

“He was sat by the door on the bus so he was in the firing line and I think maybe a bit of glass got into his eye.

“I borrowed his phone and called the police and they arrived about six minutes later and I stayed with him for about 15 minutes, just reassuring him.”

Director of APL Travel, Alan Legg, said: “We’re aware of the incident but we don’t want to make any comment until we get the driver’s report back in.”

A police spokesperson said: “There was one passenger on board the bus who sustained a minor eye injury but did not require hospital treatment.

“Ambulance also attended the scene. The driver of the bus has been reported for careless driving.

“The skip was removed and the road was cleared by 8pm.”