Teenager Lewis Monks dies in bus horror (From Bournemouth Echo)

Teenager Lewis Monks dies in bus horror

9:00am Saturday 9th June 2012 in News By Samantha Harman , Senior Reporter

A teenager was killed in a collision with a bus in Weymouth.

The 19-year-old cyclist, Lewis Monks, was hit by the First bus on Newstead Road near the Boot Hill junction just before 3pm yesterday afternoon.

Emergency services raced to the scene including the air ambulance, rapid response teams and police units.

Road closures were put in place while the air ambulance attempted to land.

But a decision was made not to land and the youth was eventually transferred to hospital by road ambulance.

A spokesman for Dorset Air Ambulance said: “We received a call about the incident at 2.47pm and arrived at the scene at 3.05pm, but we did not airlift anyone from the scene.

“We were informed that the cyclist was a 19-year-old male. We left the scene at 3.50pm.”

Police shut the road between the junction and the entrance to Asda on Newstead Road and travel restrictions were put in place as emergency services worked.

Parts of Westham were gridlocked with traffic as drivers found alternative routes to Westwey Road, where police put up a temporary road block.

A spokesman for First Bus said: “We can confirm that there was an incident involving one of our buses in Weymouth on Friday afternoon whereby a vehicle was in collision with a cyclist.

“The exact details of what happened are currently unclear but they will be thoroughly investigated. “Our team attended the scene and will be working with the police to establish what happened in the coming weeks.

“We were shocked and saddened to hear that the male cyclist involved in the incident passed away. Our thoughts are currently with his friends and family at this very sad time.”

Dozens of onlookers watched on in shock with some describing hearing the accident from streets away.

Councillor Christine James, who was at the scene, said: “My thoughts are with his family and friends.”

She added that the accident would be investigated and that assumptions should not be made about the cause.

One man, who did not wish to be named, said: “It looked very, very serious. He was a young lad and looked in a bad way.

“I think they were doing CPR but I don’t know if he was responding. Then they put him in the ambulance.”

Another said: “I heard people shouting that there had been an accident and they needed help. I went running but by the time I got there, the ambulance had arrived and was assisting the boy. He was just lying on the ground.”

A spokesman for South Western Ambulance Service said: “We had a call at 2.45pm to a road traffic collision in Newstead Road near Asda.

“We attended with rapid response vehicles, regular ambulances and the air ambulance.”

It is understood that the boy was with cycling with friends when the incident occurred.