Midlothian resident escapes injury after scaffolding smashes into High Street bus stop in Bonnyrigg

Andrew Hiddleston was standing just metres away when a lorry’s cargo smashed into a bus shelter

A Midlothian resident is considering himself very lucky after narrowly avoiding a potentially painful injury at a Bonnyrigg bus stop. 

Andrew Hiddleston, 59, was waiting for a bus on Bonnyrigg’s High Street on Thursday afternoon when a pile of metal scaffolding boards flew off a passing lorry and destroyed part of the bus shelter. 

Andrew said: "I think if I had still been standing there the metal panels would have smashed into me and been up at my chest"

Speaking to the Evening News, Andrew said he just happened to leave the spot where the incident occurred just seconds before. Andrew said: “I was standing inside the bus shelter but then I just decided to walk behind the bus stop because I had a wee while to wait. And as I was outside the church hall I heard this loud noise.”

When Andrew turned around he saw that the area where had been standing had now been destroyed by the lorry’s cargo. He said: “It looked as if a chain on the lorry had snapped and smashed the screen and window of the bus shelter. I think if I had still been standing there the metal panels would have smashed into me and been up at my chest. But the worst never happened so that’s the main thing.”

The Poltonhall resident said he left the bus shelter just seconds before the incident happened

He added: “I was lucky it wasn’t raining because I probably would have stayed under the shelter, but I just happened to move away from the stop about 10 seconds before it happened.”

The incident took place at around 2pm outside the Bonnyrigg Parish Church where Andrew is a member and where he volunteers with the Sunday School. Coincidentally, the Poltonhall resident was listening to the 1992 hit song ‘Jesus He Knows Me’ by Genesis at the time of the incident. Andrew said: “There’s a line in the song ‘God will take good care of you’ - so I thought that was hilarious. I wasn’t shaken, instead I’m seeing the funny side of it.”

A member of the Bonnyrigg Parish Church, Andrew was listening to Genesis hit song 'Jesus He Knows Me' at the time

A former employee at Edinburgh charity get2gether, Andrew is known in his community for helping others, and has been volunteering for a range of charities and organisations since 1994.  Andrew, who turns 60 in July, now volunteers for Musselburgh mental health charity Changes where he works as a befriender. Following the near miss at the bus stop, Andrew said he still made it on time for his shift in Musselburgh. 

Writing about the incident on social media afterwards, Andrew wrote ‘I nearly died today’ and posted pictures of the scene. Responding to the post one said ‘so happy you’re still with us, life would be dull without you’ whilst another added ‘your Angels are taking care of you.’

Another said: “You were so lucky, and a lot of us so grateful for that, what with the volunteering you do, and your awful jokes, you make a lot of people smile.”