The British coach driver Maurice Wrightson who died in an accident in France warned his passengers they were about to crash, giving them time to escape.

Maurice Wrightson, 64, from County Durham was taking 52 Britons home from a ski trip when the bus careered off the road before smashing into rocks and bursting into flames near the resort of Alpe d’Huez.

Police suspect a problem with the vehicle’s brakes meant Mr Wrighton lost control of the vehicle.

The French Minister of Transport, Frédéric Cuvillier, praised Mr Wrightson’s courage. “You can’t call it a miracle because there is one dead and many wounded,” he said. “But the human toll could have been much heavier.”

“The driver’s courage saved many lives. All the testimonies of the people we have met have confirmed this. His attitude and his actions prevented an even worse situation.”

UK travel organisation Abta said the passengers, who are staff at a Brighton-based ski company, are now on their way home.

It has since been said that Mr Wrightson, who worked for Stanley-based firm Classic Coaches, alerted his passengers to the imminent crash which allowed them to prepare to escape.

Several passengers leapt from the burning wreckage out of windows. At least four people were said to have been seriously injured, with those hurt being treated in local hospitals.

A helicopter was sent to the scene where firefighters battled to put out the fire.

A local police spokesman said: “The driver seems to have lost control on a steep bend in the road and his vehicle crashed into rocks.

“It burst into flames but everyone is now out. Some passengers escaped by jumping out the windows.”

TGM group which owns Classic Coaches confirmed in a statement: “Classic is a North East based company and the coach was being driven by a North East based driver.”

[adrotate banner=”54″]