Bus crash shock at William Hill in Manchester

William Hill Bookmakers in Dunkinfield, Greater Manchester have had a single decker bus carrying around 30 people plough into the bookmakers front window, killing one man in the process.   The shocking images of the bus, which can clearly be seen with the rear end seen protruding halfway out of the William Hill betting shop front have been published in the press and circulated on the internet.  The William Hill bookmakers was closed on Monday after the accident whilst firefighters tried to make the building safe after the tragic accident.  Police sealed off nearby roads to enable the emergency services to carry out the work.

Bus swerved to avoid pedestrian?

Full details of the accident are not yet available though reports in the Telegraph seem to indicate that the bus had swerved to avoid a pedestrian at about 3.10 pm on Monday afternoon before mounting the pavement and crashing into the William Hill bookmakers.    Reports at first had said that it was unknown if the victim was a passerby or a punter in the betting shop, though William Hill have eliminated the possibility of the killed man being a member of their staff as all employees of the bookmakers are now accounted for.  At the time of writing there was no clear indication if there were any other people injured or killed in the accident, and all the passengers on the no. 346 bus were unhurt and managed to disembark safely after the crash, although some were treated for shock.

Dead man named

A BBC news report today has named the man killed at the scene as Alan Humphries aged 60 of Lodge Close, Dunkinfield, and have also stated that the fatality had been placing a bet at the time of his death. A spokesperson for the bus company Stagecoach is quoted as saying in the BBC report on the tragic accident “Our immediate thoughts are with those involved in the fatal accident and also their families.
"Safety is our absolute priority and we have launched an immediate investigation.
"The driver of the bus is still shaken by the incident, but is not understood to be injured."  The roads are expected to be closed until Wednesday whilst investigations continue. Witnesses to the William Hill crash are being asked to come forward.

www.williamhill.co.uk