A cyclist died after being trapped under a bendy-bus in a collision in Birmingham today.
The 63-year-old suffered fatal head, chest and leg injuries in the accident which brought gridlock to the city.
Doctors at City Hospital battled for almost five hours to save him, but he died at about 11.25am.
The cyclist, believed to be a postman, was riding through the city when he was involved in the collision with the bus near the old Fire Station at the junction of Lancaster Circus and James Watt Queensway at 6.10am.
Two ambulances, a rapid response vehicle, an emergency doctor and the Hazardous Area Response Team were sent to the scene.
A West Midlands Ambulance Service spokesman said: “They found a cyclist trapped under a single decker bendy bus.
“The HART team worked with firefighters to rescue the man from under the bus. The vehicle had to be raised to gain access. Unfortunately, the man had suffered multiple injuries.”
Firefighters from Aston and Ladywood stations used airbags to lift the single decker number 67 bus from the man during a 20-minute operation to free him.
The man’s condition was stabilised before he was taken to City Hospital with a doctor on-board to continue treatment.
The incident sparked rush-hour traffic chaos for commuters heading into the city centre as police were forced to close part of James Watt Queensway.
Traffic queued back along the Corporation Street exit towards the Aston Expressway. Surrounding roads both in and out of the city were gridlocked throughout the morning with some drivers facing delays of over an hour.
A West Midlands Police spokesman said: “The 63-year-old cyclist was taken to hospital following the collision but died later from his injuries.”
Police said the man was not being named at this stage while next of kin were traced and informed of the tragedy.
The junction was closed as police crash investigators examined the scene before, eventually being re-opened at lunchtime.
