Man seriously injured after bus collision
A MAN has been taken to hospital with serious injuries after he was hit by a bus in a city centre collision.
The pedestrian, in his 40s, was knocked down on Princess Street shortly before 6pm with rush hour in full swing.
He was taken to Manchester Royal Infirmary’s major trauma centre with head and leg injuries, where his condition is described as ‘quite seriously ill.’
Emergency services were called and Princess Street was closed in both directions between Charles Street and Cloak Street, near Joshua Brooks pub.
Amjad Mahmood, manager of nearby eastZeast restaurant, said: “I heard a loud bang, I looked around to see where the sound came from, I thought a bus had hit a car.
“I turned and saw a gentleman on the floor.
“He’d hit the front and flew across the road.
“He had blood pouring from his head and couldn’t move his leg.
“He was conscious, still talking. I went over with a few more people trying to engage help.
“We put him in the recovery position.
“He was in a lot of pain. We made a number of phone calls then the ambulance came.”
The bus was removed from the scene at around 8pm and the road opened 30 minutes later.
But the closure caused traffic congestion, with Whitworth Street, Charles Street and Oxford Street all extremely busy.
A police spokesman confirmed that officers attended the scene at around 6pm.
The spokesman said: “We were called at 6pm to reports of a collision involving a pedestrian and a bus.
“The road was closed from the junction of Charles Street to the slip-road of the Mancunian Way.
“Ambulance crews were on the scene. The man is in his 40s. His injuries are believed to be serious.” A North West Ambulance Service spokesman said: “A man in his 40s had suffered head and leg injuries and was taken to Manchester Royal Infirmary’s major trauma centre.” She added that he was ‘quite seriously ill.’ Transport for Greater Manchester warned people of the road closure via its Twitter account. A spokeswoman for Stagecoach said: “One of our vehicles was involved in an incident in Manchester city centre in which a pedestrian was injured. “Our first thoughts are for the welfare of the person involved who has been taken to hospital. “Safety is our absolute priority. “We are assisting police with their inquiries as well as carrying out our own investigation.” Amjad Mahmood