Dad’s message of thanks after son breaks arm in Hykeham bus crash

The father of a 12-year-old boy who broke his arm in a collision involving a school bus in North Hykeham has thanked local people for their messages of support as he recalled the moment he found out about the incident.

Meadow Lane was closed by police after the school bus, with around 60 children on board, came off the road and landed on its side in a ditch at around 8.29am on November 11. The children were on their way to school at North Kesteven Academy and Sir Robert Pattinson Academy.

Sir Robert Pattinson Academy pupil Ryley Somers-Lynam, 12, suffered a broken arm and required surgery, while a 14-year-old girl was taken to hospital as a precaution. Ryley’s dad Glynn Somers-Lynam wants something done about the narrow stretch of road and thinks seatbelts should be introduced on all school buses.

Glynn was on his way to work in Chesterfield when a call came through from his son Ryley in the family WhatsApp group. His older son Josh who works with him answered the phone and they were both shocked to see a lady on the screen.

Reflecting back on the incident, Glynn told The Lincolnite: “I thought maybe at first she’d found his phone and was trying to contact us, then all of a sudden all we could hear was kids screaming and absolute panic.

“Josh tried ringing his mum (who was coming off a night shift) and Ryley, and there was no answer. At this point I’d pulled up and was a little shook up. His mum rang back a few seconds later and was near the crash and trying to get up Meadow Lane, in the end she abandoned the car and ran to the bus.

“All I could hear was shouting and sirens, then the news that Ryley was trapped with his arm, and the bus was leaning against some trees and a road sign, and they couldn’t get him off the bus.

“His mum was still in shock for days and was just sobbing as all she could see was Ryley trapped and the look on his face as she looked through the window at him.

“I got a call back saying they had managed to free him and his arm was broken, and resembled a banana. His mum went up to hospital in the ambulance with him and I headed there straight after. He was in hospital for 28 hours and had two hours in theatre.

“I’d like to thank everyone that stopped on the morning, all the passers-by, all the teachers from several schools, and the emergency services and doctors at Lincoln Couty Hospital, who do a fantastic job day in, day out. I also hope the driver is okay, along with all the other children on board.

“I am overwhelmed by the amount of comments and compassion shown on my post on “You’re probably from Lincoln if…”. I’d also like to thank everyone for their lovely comments and well wishes on there too.

“Ryley’s school have rang everyday to check up on him and they are setting up some provisions for when he goes back to school.

“We have explained that he doesn’t want to get the bus again long-term so we will have to take turns around work and dropping his sister off at school, which could mean him being slightly late. The school have been really good all round.”

Glynn wants to see more action taken to prevent similar incidents happening in the future. He added: “The road is dangerous on that straight, it’s far too narrow and most cars go far too fast. There’s been so many accidents on there recently and something needs put in place.

“I can’t understand why buses don’t have seatbelts, especially ones used for a school because these are different to normal passenger buses where you get on at one stop and possible get off a few stops later.

“The children get on and are seated until it arrives at school. Ryley has around three miles of travelling and some kids have five to six miles. I think seatbelts is definitely something that needs looking at and this would have prevented Ryley being thrown across the bus.”

Whilst in theatre, the surgeon manage to straighten his arm and repair the break without any intrusive surgery. Ryley is being kept off school for the rest of the week and will have a further x-ray in the coming days.

The x-ray will check the break is healing correctly, which could mean he needs a smaller cast, or a further operation and potentially metal work in his arm.

The injury means Ryley has not been able to play football for Lowland Bolts Under-13s, with his dad adding: “He’s gutted he can’t play football at the minute. He loves playing for his team and winning the man-of-the-match trophy and wanted to play at the weekend.”

Meanwhile, Lincolnshire Police officers are asking anyone who witnessed the incident or has dashcam footage to come forward as their investigations continue.

A spokesperson for Stagecoach East Midlands said: “Our immediate thoughts are with the children involved and their families. We are giving the police our full support in helping to investigate and establish the circumstances of the incident.”

A Sir Robert Pattinson Academy spokesperson previously said: “In due course we will be having discussions with the transport provider to ensure all efforts are being made to understand the circumstances in which this accident happened and how it can be avoided in the future.”