A young Huddersfield bus driver faces more surgery after a horror crash.
The driver, who has not been named, was impaled on metal railings after his double-deck bus crashed on Boxing Day.
The accident in Bradford left 12 other people with minor injuries.
Rescuers who fought to free the 23-year-old driver ended up cutting through the railing and flying him to hospital with it still embedded deep in his leg.
He underwent emergency surgery at Leeds General Infirmary on Boxing Day evening but now faces more operations to treat his wounds.
Bus chiefs from the First company paid tribute to the firefighters and paramedics who helped the driver.
West Yorkshire Police said the accident happened on Manchester Road, Bradford, just after noon when the bus hit a number of parked and stationary cars, leaving seven damaged.
According to firefighters, the driver was left with a metal railing embedded in his leg.
Watch commander Phil Warden said: “It had come through the front of the bus, entered his right leg at the bottom of his hamstring and came out right at the top of his leg.
“The spike had then gone through the back of his seat and embedded itself in the bus.”
Fire crews spent more than an hour freeing him from the cab before he was airlifted to Leeds General Infirmary.
Mr Warden said: “If it had hit the artery he would have suffered massive blood loss and it could have been catastrophic.”
A police spokesman said the driver’s condition was serious but stable.
He added that 12 passengers on the bus were treated for whiplash and shock.
The bus was surrounded by a trail of destruction as the 90-minute rescue operation was carried out.
Firefighters cut the roof off one car so the occupants could get out. Severe damage could be seen to a black 4x4, a blue Ford Focus and a green Nissan.
Four road ambulances, two paramedic response cars and four fire engines, were at the scene.
The Yorkshire Air Ambulance landed in a nearby car park to fly the driver to hospital.
A First Bus spokesman said: “The driver was at the wheel of the 363 service which had left Huddersfield earlier in the afternoon on its way to Bradford.
“The driver is a 23-year-old man who has worked at our Huddersfield depot for the past year.
“There were 25 passengers on the bus and about half of those did suffer minor injuries.
“The driver was taken to Leeds and underwent emergency surgery on Boxing Day, which went well.
“He is still in a serious condition and will have to have further operations.
“We are working closely with the police to determine what happened, including studying CCTV images.
“It is too early to draw conclusions but we are looking at the possibility of another vehicle being involved.
“The main thing at the moment is the condition of the driver and our thoughts are with him, his family and everyone else involved.
“We would also offer our thanks to the rescue services who did a really professional job.”
