Two people died and a lorry driver had a miraculous escape in a spate of road accidents today.

In one tragic incident, a young man died early today after being hit by a car in front of his horrified friends as they walked home from a night out.

Police are appealing for witnesses to the fatal smash in Netherfield Road, Guiseley, shortly after midnight.

And the Stanningley bypass between Bradford and Leeds was closed this morning after a fatal crash involving a Ford Fiesta car and a double-decker bus near the Pudsey turn off.

Police closed off the Bradford-bound carriageway at 6am to deal with the accident. The Fiesta driver was taken to Leeds General Infirmary but died from his injuries.

In Crossflatts, there was a lucky escape for residents after a lorry went out of control and smashed through road barriers and a bus stop, careering into a garage.

Incredibly, the driver walked away unscathed from the incident which left a 50 metre trail of destruction in Bradford Road, at 5.30am.

The Guiseley road victim, who has not been named by police, was a 19-year-old laboratory assistant from Ilkley. He was walking home with a group of others at the time of the accident.

Friends watched in horror as the young man was hit by a car and forced against other vehicles parked in the street.

A nurse who was passing by helped and comforted him until the ambulance arrived, but he died later at Leeds General Infirmary of multiple injuries.

The driver of the red and grey Rover 216 car, a Harehills man who works as a trader in Otley, was also taken to hospital to be treated for whiplash and shock. His female front seat passenger suffered facial bruising.

"This was a tragic end to an evening out for the young man," said a West Yorkshire Police spokesman.

"It's too early to reach any positive conclusions about the cause of the accident. Our inquiries are continuing."

PC Paul Cartwright, of Weetwood Police, said: "This man's friends are finding it hard to come to terms with what happened. Words can't describe what they're going through."

Anyone with information should contact Sergeant Wilson at Weetwood Police on 0113 241 3459.

In Crossflatts, the articulated lorry was driving from Bingley towards Keighley when it went out of control. Smashing through the barriers of a pedestrian crossing, it ploughed through a bus stop, completely destroying it, finally coming to rest embedded in the garage of a private house.

The residents were too shocked to speak today.

A woman neighbour, who did not want to be named, said: "It's lucky there was no-one stood at the bus stop at the time.

"I heard a loud clanging and banging but didn't think anything of it because you hear it all the time on this road. When I looked out of the window I thought 'flipping heck'. I am surprised nobody was injured, it's a right mess."

Witnesses to the lorry smash are asked to call PC Cheryl Moore on (01535) 617047.