Shocking Bee Network Incident: Driver Pleads Guilty After Passengers Suffer Grave Injuries
A bus driver on 'auto-pilot' caused a major incident in Eccles, injuring 15 people, three seriously, after his double-decker bus struck a low bridge. Christopher Henry, who had mistaken it for a single-decker route, ignored multiple warnings. He received a suspended prison sentence and community service for causing serious injury by dangerous driving.
A bus driver on 'auto-pilot' caused a major incident when he ploughed a double-decker Bee Network bus into a low bridge, injuring 15 people, three seriously. The incident occurred on July 21, 2025, as the bus, operating the 100 service from Trafford Centre to Manchester city centre, entered a tunnel under the Bridgewater Canal on Barton Lane in Eccles, tearing off its roof. The 13ft 10 tall bus struck the 11ft 6 bridge, leading to a scene described as 'carnage' by Recorder Emma Fisher.
Driver Christopher Henry, with 15 years of experience, momentarily forgot he was behind the wheel of a double-decker. He had earlier been driving a single-decker bus on a different route, the 52, which also went along Barton Lane, and 'must have thought he was driving the 52 bus instead.' In the moments leading up to the crash, Henry ignored several automated 'low bridge ahead' warnings heard on CCTV footage. He was even seen overriding a 'bridge alert stop vehicle' warning on his ticket machine to allow a passenger to board.
The consequences were severe: one victim suffered a fractured skull and numerous other serious injuries after being 'ejected' from the top deck. Two men and a woman sustained 'grave injuries,' including skull, spine, and rib fractures, a broken arm, and severe cuts to the face and head. The woman told Manchester Crown Court that her injuries forced her to halt her law degree studies and now caused flashbacks and 'cognitive and communication difficulties.'
During court proceedings, Stephen Tettey, defending Henry, conveyed his client's 'profound and significant remorse.' Henry had been employed by Stagecoach for approximately 20 years without prior incidents and was not under the influence of alcohol or drugs at the time of the collision. Recorder Emma Fisher emphasized that a public service vehicle driver must never operate on 'auto-pilot,' stating, "Attentiveness was such that you failed to realise you were not driving the same bus that you were earlier that day." Henry, of Thornhill Road, Tameside, pleaded guilty to three counts of causing serious injury by dangerous driving. He received a two-year and eight-month prison sentence, suspended for two years and six months, and was ordered to complete 300 hours of community service with £150 costs.