Elderly woman killed in bin lorry collision as shoppers look on
and A 90-year-old woman has died after a horror incident involving a bin lorry in the east end of Edinburgh, it has been confirmed.
Shoppers watched on in terror as the woman suffered fatal injuries following a collision with a Biffa waste truck near the Morrisons supermarket on Piersfield Terrace – just yards away from a pedestrian crossing.
One other person reportedly required treatment after emergency services – including at least a dozen police cars – rushed to the scene.
Fire and ambulance crews were also in attendance, but the woman was confirmed dead at the scene shortly after 11:30am on Friday.
The street – which also includes a bookmakers, a chemist and a funeral directors – was cordoned off for more than five hours, while buses were diverted around residential streets as emergency responders worked to reopen the road.
A red and white Biffa lorry was being assessed by officers at the scene and one eyewitness reported a representative from the company had arrived at around 1pm looking “visibly upset”.
It is thought the woman may have stepped off a local bus service heading towards Portobello at a stop outside the Machine Mart store seconds before the incident.
A worker from the XS Locksmith store said crews were quick to respond to the collision, adding: “Emergency services were quick on the scene, there were sirens roaring by moments after it happened”
Sergeant Ross Drummond from Police Scotland’s road policing unit said: “This collision has resulted in the death of a woman and our thoughts and condolences are with her friends and family at this difficult time.”
“Our inquiries into the full circumstances of the collision are ongoing and I would ask anyone who may have witnessed the collision, and has not yet spoken to officers, comes forward to assist with our investigations.
“Equally anyone with any information relevant to the inquiry is asked to contact us as soon as possible.”
Police obtained CCTV footage from a local computer shop to aid with their investigation into the incident before the body was removed at around 2pm
A spokesman for Biffa said: “We are providing all necessary support to the Police following a road traffic incident in Edinburgh on Friday morning. Our thoughts are with all parties involved or affected at this time.”
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