A man who was first on the scene of a crash between a double-decker bus and a woman says he held her hand and wants her family to know she was not alone when she died.

Chris Mundy and his family were in Rickmansworth town centre on Saturday afternoon when they witnessed the collision at the corner of Station Road and the High Street.

Emergency services arrived just minutes later, including the air ambulance and firefighters, but Hertfordshire Constabulary confirmed the woman, aged in her 60s, died at the scene.

Mr Mundy, whose family have left a bunch of flowers tied to a lamppost with a note to the victim’s family, said: “My wife saw what happened and we ran over immediately and called 999. We’ve told the driver to stop and he did.

“I was holding the woman’s hand while on the phone to 999 but police arrived so quickly, I think it was around three minutes.

“I cannot praise the emergency services enough. I couldn’t fault them at all, I believe they did everything they could to save her. They lifted the bus up and had to work with a crowd gathered around."

Watford Observer:

The Mundy family has left these flowers on a post in Station Road, accompanied by a message which said "they were thinking of the woman and her family"

Mr Mundy added: “A couple of local businesses were great too offering us and others a place to go and a drink. The bus driver was absolutely distraught - he didn’t seem to have any idea she was there and I was trying to reassure him. It’s a narrow street where the driver has to look both sides.

“We just want the lady’s family to know she wasn’t on her own and there were people trying to save her.”

Watford Observer:

Rickmansworth High Street was shut off by officers to allow investigation work to take place

Police said on Saturday that the woman's next of kin were aware of what had happened and were being supported by specially trained liaison officers.

The Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, and Hertfordshire Road Policing Unit has launched an investigation into the collision and is appealing for witnesses.

Sergeant Martin Kemp from the unit said: "Our thoughts are very much with the family of the lady who lost her life. It was a very distressing incident and I want to thank the public for their patience and understanding while we worked at the scene alongside our colleagues from the fire and ambulance service.

"We have launched an investigation and will now work hard to establish the circumstances of what happened.

"We are keen to speak to anyone who was driving in the immediate vicinity just before 2.30pm on Saturday and has a dash cam fitted to your vehicle, as you may have captured vital footage."

Anyone with any information can contact Sergeant Kemp by emailing martin.kemp@herts.pnn.police.uk quoting Operation Tactic or call 101.