Incredible footage captures the dramatic moment when a driver chases after his truck as it rolls through a zebra crossing and crashes into the side of a bus.
The heart-stopping incident occurred at 8:17 PM on a Friday evening on Croydon High Street in South London.
It seems that the driver had loaded a forklift onto the back of the truck but failed to fully retract the base of the low loader, causing it to overhang.
While driving along Edridge Road, the rear of the truck scraped along the road, and the vehicle got stuck when the driver stopped at the zebra crossing.
A resident named Oliver began recording when he heard the noise, little knowing what would unfold next.
The driver stepped out of his cab and attempted to lift the base into the correct position, but it became apparent that he had forgotten to apply the handbrake, resulting in the truck starting to move.
As the truck collided with the side of an Abellio double-decker bus, the driver can be seen sprinting after it. The truck then veered off to the right, heading towards a parked vehicle.
Fortunately, a motorcyclist managed to grab onto the side of the truck, slowing it down. The driver entered through the passenger side and succeeded in stopping the truck before it hit a parked car.
Just when it seemed that disaster had been averted, the driver began to reverse the vehicle, almost crossing paths with a Dominos pizza delivery driver on a scooter.
Concerned members of the public can be heard shouting warnings as the rear of the truck comes dangerously close to the scooter’s handlebars. The frightened biker jumps off the scooter to avoid a collision.
Oliver, who works as a lorry driver himself, is astonished that he captured the entire incident on camera. He exclaims to the men on the street below, “I’ve recorded the entire thing!”
He adds, “Oh my goodness, this guy is completely reckless.”
Reflecting on the incident, Oliver said, “I wouldn’t want to share the road with him. I’m surprised the forklift didn’t fall off the truck since there were no securing straps.”
Although the vehicle displays a company logo, it is understood that the truck was recently sold, and the new owner chose not to remove the branding.
Edmund King, President of the AA, commented, “Driving larger vehicles, such as flat-bed trucks, requires extensive training, skill, and attention to detail. Unfortunately, those qualities were not evident in this incident.”
“The only silver lining is that no one was seriously injured or killed as a result of the runaway truck, thanks mainly to the actions and warnings from vigilant members of the public,” King added.
Tom Cunnington, Head of Bus Business Development at TfL, acknowledged the incident, saying, “We are aware of a collision between a vehicle and a bus in Croydon on Friday evening. Fortunately, no injuries have been reported.”
“While it appears that Abellio, the bus operator, could not have done anything to prevent this, we will assist in their investigation to determine what happened,” Cunnington stated.
The Metropolitan Police have confirmed that they were not called to the scene of this incident.
