Unborn baby killed in road smash

A PREGNANT woman lost her baby and is fighting for her life in hospital after a road crash in the Scottish Borders yesterday morning. The woman, who has not been named, was seriously injured after a Honda Civic in which she was a passenger collided with a VW Golf on the A7 north of Hawick.

• A pregnant woman's baby died after this A7 accident, and she suffered serious injuries. The male driver was also badly hurt

The accident happened just minutes before another fatal crash, just a few miles away, in which a four-by-four Suzuki collided with a schoolbus, sending it off the road.

Firefighters and ambulance crews rushed to the scene of both accidents and roads were closed as cutting equipment was used to free the injured from the wreckage.

Police said after the accident the pregnant woman was taken to the Borders General Hospital, where she gave birth. But a few hours later they issued a statement saying the child had not survived and the mother's condition was continuing to cause concern.

A spokesman for Lothian and Borders Police said: "Tragically, the infant was not strong enough to survive the injuries sustained and there are still concerns with regards to her mother's health."

Shortly after the birth the woman was transferred to the Western General in Edinburgh, where she is being treated for serious chest and head injuries.

The male driver of the car is also in the Borders General with serious leg injuries, after the accident, which happened at 8:23am, on the A7, two miles north of Hawick.

• Fatality at accident black spot

The incident happened, just five minutes before the second fatal accident in the Borders, a few miles away on the A698 just west of Jedburgh at Know South Lodge.

A 35-year-old woman from Hawick died when her Suzuki Vitara plunged head-on into a school bus taking pupils from Denholm to Jedburgh Grammar School.

The school bus careered off the road into a field, but luckily none of the eight children on board was seriously harmed.

Fire crews cut the woman driver from the vehicle but she died on the scene.

Two adults and three children on the 24 seater bus were treated at the Borders General for minor injuries and shock.

Police are appealing for witnesses to both incidents, and particularly want to trace the driver of a small red car, possibly a Corsa or Fiesta, which was seen near the A7 crash.

A police spokesman said: "We are still in the process of piecing together the circumstances surrounding this collision, which has resulted in some serious injuries to those involved.

"We would urge any motorists who were on the road and can assist with inquiries to come forward. "We are particularly keen to speak to the driver of a small red car, who may have witnessed the collision. The driver of this vehicle is asked to contact police as soon as possible."