Pulled from under tram
THESE images show the astonishing moment a man was rescued from underneath a tram after being hit in Manchester city centre.
Shop workers were seen using a penknife to cut the man free after his rucksack got trapped, pinning him down against the tracks.
He was then seen being gently pulled from underneath the tram by passersby on High Street, opposite the Arndale food market.
The man dragged himself along the pavement following the incident on Monday afternoon.
Witnesses said he walked unaided to an ambulance.
The man was taken to Manchester Royal Infirmary, but his injuries were not thought to be serious.
Emergency services were called at around 2.20pm. The man was hit at the junction of Church Street, between the Shudehill and Market Street tram stops.
Stephen Mcintosh, 35, who was working nearby when the drama unfolded, said: “My nephew shouted me and told me a man was trapped under a tram and needed help – he saw it happen.
“He went under it. His bag was pinning him under and his left arm was almost touching the wheel. A few people stopped to help. Two lads from one of the shops nearby came and one of them had a penknife.
“He used it to cut the rucksack’s straps and they managed to pull him out. The guy was fine, he was shook up and had a few cuts, but other than that he was okay. He was so lucky, it’s unbelievable.” A spokesman for the North West Ambulance Service (NWAS) confirmed a man in his 40s was taken Manchester Royal Infirmary. Trams were diverted through Exchange Square and High Street was closed while the man was rescued. Aline Frantzen, managing director at Keolis Amey Metrolink, said: “Safety is the number one priority for KAM so we will investigate this thoroughly to see if there is anything we can learn from the incident.”