SURVIVORS of a horror crash tearfully hugged each other in disbelief after escaping the wreckage of their mangled coach.

Passengers said they were lucky to be alive after an Oxford Bus Company vehicle flipped over on the M40 sliproad at Milton Common yesterday.

At about 2.45am, it left the road and ploughed through safety barriers into the embankment.

Paramedics took all 17 people on board - including the driver - to Oxford's John Radcliffe Hospital but none were seriously injured.

Oxford University student Ali White said she was sleeping when the crash happened and awoke to the sound of screeching tyres before being thrown into the air.

Oxford Mail:

The 20-year-old said: "The window smashed and I landed and could feel grass underneath me. I was still inside but when I looked up the bus was above me on its side.

"There was shouting and people were stuck in their seats. It was a nightmare."

She said passengers called 999 and emergency responders arrived quickly.

The 54-year-old bus driver was 'bleeding badly' but Miss White said he made sure passengers were safely out of the vehicle before getting out himself.

The Regent's Park College student, who was travelling home after visiting family in Glasgow for Christmas, added: "We were walking over the overhead lockers and the coach was just a mess.

Oxford Mail:

"When we got to the top, the bus driver was there and was bleeding pretty badly but he was helping people get out and didn't get out himself until everyone else had.

"When we were outside what had happened really set in.

"People who had been on the bus, complete strangers, were just crying and hugging each other.

"I had cuts and bruises but you'd only think I'd fallen off my bicycle.

Oxford Mail:

Miss White described the moment the coach overturned 

"I was a wreck. I looked over at where I had been sitting in the bus and it was almost completely crushed.

"It could have been so, so much worse."

The coach, part of 'The Airline' service, had come from Gatwick Airport.

Miss White said she and several other passengers had only been on board because fog had caused flight delays and cancellations, which meant they were unable to catch trains.

Thames Valley Police yesterday closed the sliproad for more than 12 hours to carry out investigations and recover the damaged coach.

Oxford Mail:

Force spokesman Gareth Ford-Lloyd said it was not known if the foggy conditions yesterday morning had been a cause of the crash but urged drivers to take care.

The A329 at Milton Common was also closed in both directions, between the A40 London Road and the M40 junction.

The crash was declared a 'major incident' by South Central Ambulance Service due to the number of people involved.

A spokesman said passengers had 'a variety of minor injuries', including cuts, bruises and broken bones.

Oxford Bus Company said it had launched a full investigation into the incident, but declined to speculate on its cause.

Managing director Phil Southall said: "We are doing everything we can to assist those involved in this unfortunate incident, and have been working closely with the emergency services at the scene in what has been a very challenging environment."

Oxford Mail:

He added the driver of the coach was 'very experienced' and had worked for the company for 20 years.

The crash happened on the same stretch of road where an almost-identical incident happened six years ago.

In December 2010, an Oxford Tube coach flipped on the slip road with 32 passengers on board.

The driver was later convicted of careless driving.