Well.. it happened. My first ever vehicle crash. And of course it was in a coach...
I was driving a Yutong GT12 at 50mph on a major road (UK.)
A french tourist pulled out from a junction with no warning.
With less than 100ft to impact I was able to get ABS going and steer the coach somewhat to turn what would have been a full T-Bone crash into a frontal/frontal (corner/corner) impact at 30-40mph...
During the crash I saw 2 young children in the back of the car and my heart sank. I thought I was going to kill them...
all my PAX were okay, and all occupants of the car were okay.
Less than 1 hour later, my Duty manager asks me to get a lift south to collect another coach and take it into service going back north.... I told them to "FO"...
I actually had to demand tomorrow off... As I feel i will be unsafe due to hyper vigilance. Driving home tonight was horrible.
I keep replaying the crash in my head, but I don't think I could have done anything different to get the same outcome.
My passengers thanked me for my professionalism.
It can happen in an instant without warning even at low speeds.
What can I do to mitigate mental health impact of this?
My company has offered no support at all.
Be-careful out there guys.