'People flew from their seats': Passengers describe Bedford train crash

Passengers aboard two trains that collided near Bedford on Friday afternoon recounted harrowing experiences of panic and injury. The East of England Ambulance Service reported that nearly 90 individuals were hurt, with more than 30 suffering serious injuries. Teresa Itabor, who was traveling to London for her birthday, described hearing a "massive bang" and hitting the seat in front of her. Upon opening her eyes, she saw "blood everywhere" and found that the carriage doors had jammed. Dr. Peter Knapp, who was in the front carriage of one of the colliding trains, likened the scene to a "bomb explosion," noting bloodied faces, broken limbs, and smoke. He observed passengers spitting blood as police attended to the injured. Brett Byatt described witnessing a woman with a "completely snapped her leg" and another with severe back injuries. He noted that the train, which normally does not slow down between Bedford and Luton, suddenly braked before the impact. Shola Mene recalled the collision as a "big bang" that sent people flying from their seats, with one passenger hitting her husband in the face. She added that "a lot of people had facial injuries."

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We left Bedford station and there was a massive bang... I didn't know what was going on; my head hit the seat in front of me. I opened my eyes and that's when I saw people on the floor with blood everywhere.