11 April 2023 , 01:25
487
0
A huge double-decker bus had its entire roof completely ripped off after ploughing straight into a low bridge on Monday night.
The bus was left in two separate pieces after the collision, which saw a major police operation to seal the road.
The entire top deck's seating area was left open to the elements, while the bus's roof was left about 20 yards behind the broken vehicle.
Police completely closed off the lane in Eccles, west Manchester after the incident.
A witness claimed that there were no passengers on board at the time of the smash.
'UK's most neglected street with post-apocalyptic scenes like The Last of Us'
Greater Manchester Police (GMP) confirmed that the road had been closed in both directions following the crash (GMP Traffic)They said: "It was a low bridge that the bus tried to go under - but the bridge was too low and cut off the roof of the bus.
"It was around 9pm when the bus was approaching the bridge. I thought it was going to stop when [the driver] realised the height restriction, but it just carried on. Luckily there were no passengers on board.
"The bus drove all way under which peeled the top off with ease. Police responded and closed both sides, there are no ambulances present," they told the Manchester Evening News.
The bridge clearly had a sign saying the maximum height available for vehicles was 3.5m.
But, the average double-decker bus is roughly 4.4m tall; although some can be even taller than that.
Greater Manchester Police (GMP) confirmed that the road had been closed in both directions following the crash.
Its subsidiary, GMP Traffic, tweeted: "Barton Lane, Eccles is currently closed both ways due to a bridge strike by a bus.
"The road will remain closed until the Ports Authority can attend and assess/repair any damage.
"Please avoid and plan an alternative route as there may be subsequent local delays."
The police published a photograph of the bus's roof laying on the road, and the locals sounded their astonishment on social media.
'World's first' driverless bus service will start on 14-mile route in UK city
Twitter user Auntie Bex said: "At what point did the driver think … 'Ooh, now this feels like it could be a bit of a squeeze' … And then carried on going??"
AshleyNealDrivingIns said: "I’m surprised that didn’t go under [thinking emoji]."
Stuart Baillie tweeted: "Did the bridge shrink in the rain?," while Twitter user Sara added: "Must've been going fast to tear off the whole top so cleanly!"
Mirror.co.uk contacted Diamond Buses for comment on Monday night's bridge crash.