Cyclist fights for life after being crushed by bus in Oxford Street

A cyclist was left fighting for life after she was hit by a bus in Oxford Street in front of horrified onlookers.

The 26-year-old woman received critical injuries in the collision with the 390 bus at around 1pm this afternoon near the junction with Tottenham Court Road.

Scores of shoppers witnessed the incident as the double-decker crashed into a bus stop near a branch of Ryman the stationer.

A builder working on the Crossrail site said: "I heard a smash and a lot of shouting in the street below. I didn't see it but my mate said a car pulled out suddenly and the bus swerved to avoid it and hit somebody. Two people looked in a really bad way."

A pedestrian also received multiple injuries in the collision which brought part of Oxford Street to a standstill as emergency services raced to the scene.

A London Ambulance Service spokeswoman said: "We were called shortly before 1pm to report of an accident on Tottenham Court Road and Oxford Street.

"We sent a motorcycle responder, a fast repsonse vehicle and three ambulance crews. Our staff treated two patients. A 26-year-old woman was taken to Royal London Hospital with multiple injuries. A 59-year-old man was taken to University College Hospital with multiple injuries."

It comes after a series of fatal road accidents involving cyclists.

Shivon Watson, 28, was killed at a roundabout in east London in March after being trapped between the lorry and railings as they both turned left.

She was the third cyclist in a month to be killed in accidents in London involving lorries. Medical student Muhammad Ahmed, 21, was hit as he rode to lectures at Guy's Hospital campus near London Bridge on Tuesday.

Four weeks earlier David Vilaseca-Perez, 46, a professor at Royal Holloway, University of London, died near his home near Tower Bridge.