By Dave GooderhamA MOTORCYCLIST is lucky to be alive after her bike was dragged under the wheels of a coach before bursting into flames.The 52-year-old woman escaped serious injury after she was thrown clear of her machine before it collided with the coach and was pulled 30 yards along a busy road.

By Dave Gooderham

A MOTORCYCLIST is lucky to be alive after her bike was dragged under the wheels of a coach before bursting into flames.

The 52-year-old woman escaped serious injury after she was thrown clear of her machine before it collided with the coach and was pulled 30 yards along a busy road.

Police and fire officers said the accident could have been far worse after the coach was destroyed in the blaze.

The motorcyclist, from Brandon, was taken to West Suffolk Hospital in Bury St Edmunds, where she was said last night to be in a stable condition.

An East Anglian Ambulance Trust spokesman said: “She fell off before the motorcycle went into the coach. The coach ploughed over it and it burst into flames. She is lucky that she wasn't on the bike when it caught fire.”

The driver, from Thetford-based company Coach Services, managed to get out of the coach unhurt before it was engulfed in flames. There were no passengers on board at the time.

Firefighters were called out twice to the coach, which burst into flames at 7.45am yesterday, after the collision with the Suzuki 1000cc motorbike.

They spent an hour putting out the blaze, only for the coach to catch fire again as it was being moved off the road.

Sub-Officer Alan Prior, one of the firefighters called to the scene, said: “She was very, very lucky. I imagine the bike exploded and set the bus on fire.

“It could have been a hell of a lot worse if there had been any children or any passengers in there.”

Police are still investigating the cause of the accident, which took place about half a mile past Thetford Golf Club on the B1107 Brandon Road.

No-one from the coach company was available for comment yesterday. Anyone with information should contact Norfolk Police on 01953 424242.

dave.gooderham@eadt.co.uk