By Neil Millard

neil.millard@essnmedia.co.uk

The bus driver involved in the Croydon town centre crash with a tram that killed a man has been bailed.

He was taken into custody at a south London police station yesterday afternoon (Monday) where he was questioned in connection with the crash.

He has now been released pending further inquiries and ordered to return to the police station in November.

It has also been revealed that the man who died when a bus collided with a tram was a passenger on the bus and not a pedestrian.

Police revealed on Monday morning that the man had been travelling on the 468 bus when the fatal collision occurred on Sunday.

The 28-year-old victim, who has not been formally identified yet, will undergo a post-mortem today (Tuesday).

The man’s family have been informed of the tragedy.

A source within the emergency services has told the Advertiser the man had been sitting on the top deck of the bus and was thrown through the front window on impact.

The bus driver, also 28, was treated at St George’s Hospital and was arrested after he was released.

The crash occurred in George Street at around 10am. 

The female tram driver and the bus driver were among seven other people injured.

Witnesses at the scene said the crash happened after the bus swerved to avoid a car and collided with the tram, sending the bus careering about 100 metres down George Street, hitting shops on both sides of the road, and a parked car.

A police source told the Advertiser the bus was able to travel so far because the driver had been knocked unconscious by the impact with the tram.

Road sweeper Martin Storm, 54, from Church Street, Croydon, who saw the crash, said:

"The bus was coming up Park Street and swerved to avoid a car which was coming down Park Lane.

"The bus driver swerved left to avoid the car. The bus driver tried to avoid everything, but he couldn't avoid it.

"The driver of the tram was really upset, but it wasn't their fault. I was behind it all, there was blood everywhere."

He added: "The police told me the traffic lights had failed and were all on green."

However, while saying the traffic lights were one area which would be looked at during the investigation, police would not confirm they had not been working.

They were also unable to confirm how many people had been on the tram or the bus.

A spokesman for the London Ambulance Service said: "We sent an ambulance and a fast response car but sadly a male patient has died at the scene.

"The patient was beyond our help before we got the 999 call."

He added: "There were seven other patients. One was an adult male, taken to Mayday Hospital with a back injury as a priority.

"There was another adult male taken to St George's Hospital with a head injury as a prioroty.

"There were five other patients taken to either to Mayday or St George's so as not to overload the wards, but not as priorities as they had less serious injuries."

Several town centre roads were closed but all are now reopen.

Mohamed Mohamoud, 21, a shop assistant at Moss Bros on the corner of Wellesley Road and George Street, said: "I spoke to a boy who was on the tram and he said the bus hit the front of the tram and the bus was forced all the way down George Street.

"Apparently the bus briefly hit the left hand side of the shops, and then hit the other side near Allders."

Julian Carty, 43, from Redhill, saw the immediate aftermath of the crash while on his way to church.

He said: "I was here about 10 minutes afterwards.

"They were still moving people up the street. They all looked shocked and people were crying.

"It was quite busy and there were quite a few people who would have seen it. The shops were just getting ready to open.

"The accident has ripped all the stuff off the top of the tram, the bits which connect to the wires.

"The emergency services were spot on, the way they cordoned it all off quickly and kept people moving instead of having lots of rubberneckers.

"It was horrific. At first I thought it was one of those re-enactments. but when I got closer I realised it was for real."

The 468 bus, which runs from South Croydon to Elephant and Castle, is operated by London Central for Transport for London (TfL).

A spokesman for TfL said: "Our deepest sympathies are with the family and friends of the person who died, and those who were injured.

"We will carry out a full investigation into the incident, and will be assisting the police."

Police are appealing for witnesses to the accident.

Anyone with any information should call 020 8285 1574.