Pensioners hit and trapped beneath a bus
TWO elderly people were severely injured after they were hit by and trapped beneath a bus yesterday.
Firefighters battled to free a man and woman, thought to be in their seventies, on the corner of Argyle Street and Queen Street in Glasgow.
The couple had been crossing the road onto the pedestrianised side of the street when they were struck by the First bus around 2.30pm.
They were immediately treated at the scene before being taken by ambulance to Glasgow Royal Infirmary. Last night their conditions were described as ‘critical’.
The bus driver was uninjured but is said to have been ‘extremely shaken’ following the incident. Later, as extensive police inquiries continued, officers appealed for witnesses.
Sergeant Andrew Mair said: ‘Where the crash happened is an extremely busy shopping area and I would appeal to any witnesses who have not yet spoken to police to contact us.’
Emergency services used specialist airbags to lift the bus off the trapped victims. Witnesses said the man was trapped under the bus and did not seem to be moving, while the woman’s leg and hip were caught beneath the wheel. They also said the woman had what looked like ‘very serious’ head injuries.
The incident happened on the same street as the tragic accident in December when six people were killed by a bin lorry which had gone out of control.
One witness said she heard the woman shouting for help as she lay trapped next to the man. Jan Watson, 41, who was shopping with daughter Heidi, 20, said: ‘We could hear the old lady shouting for help. She was saying, “Get me out of here, I don’t like it under here”. She was on top of her husband and then the wheel was on top of him and her leg. She looked like she had a really serious injury to her head. But the wheel was on the man and he wasn’t making any noise.
‘It’s a strange thing to notice, but as we walked down the street I saw that there were 20
‘A really serious head injury’
seconds on the counter until the green man, and I thought, “we are just going to make it to cross,” so I know that they crossed maybe just a little bit early.’
Jordan Macrae, 18, who was shopping with his girlfriend Ellie Bunting, said: ‘We had just walked out of Primark and saw the bus stop really quickly. Then we realised what had happened.
‘ Everyone j ust got t heir phones out and everyone was phoning for ambulances and police.’
A spokesman for bus operator First Glasgow said: ‘We are doing everything we can to support the emergency services and a full investigation to establish exactly what happened is under way.’