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Identity hunt for pensioner in bus tragedy
POLICE are struggling to work out the identity of a pensioner dragged to his death beneath the wheels of a bus in Finchley Road last Thursday.
They have been piecing together clues but are hoping forensic tests due back tomorrow (Friday), will clear up the mystery.
Although a travel card was found in his pocket, detectives have been unable to confirm he is the man named on the card, and have also looked into the possibility he was carrying documents that were not his own.
A visual identification was made impossible by his injuries.
A post mortem, carried out on Friday at St Pancras Coroner’s Court found he died of multiple injuries, although a date for his inquest has not been set. Detectives are trying to establish whether the victim, who was in his 70s, had been sleeping rough prior to his death, and why he was visiting Swiss Cottage.
A hunt for relatives has also hit a dead end, while flowers left for him at the tragic spot by businesses in the area were mysteriously removed overnight.
A number 31 bus ran into the pensioner as he stepped off another bus and crossed the busy four-lane road toward the Odeon cinema during the morning rush hour.
Onlookers say he was pulled at least five meters forwards before the driver was alerted by passengers and stopped.
A passerby who saw his body laying in the road said: “All that was left of him was a cane and a hat. It’s horrific.”
Eye-witnesses said his walking stick and flat cap lay abandoned in the road for some time after he was killed, while blood stained the road for days after the accident.
First London, the bus firm which runs the number 31, are also investigating the tragedy. A spokesman said: “It is understood that an elderly male alighted from a 46 bus then walked into the road and was hit by the 31 bus.
“A full investigation is underway by the police and ourselves.” |
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