On December 30, 1952, Albert Gunter was driving his usual route on the number 78 bus heading toward Shoreditch. The 46-year-old driver had no reason to think this day would be different from any other. He got close to Tower Bridge at around 12 miles per hour with 20 passengers on board. The traffic light was green, there was no warning bell, and the gates were open. Everything looked normal. But as Gunter drove onto the bridge, the road in front of him suddenly started to drop away.
The south side of Tower Bridge had started to rise with his bus still on it. A relief watchman was working the bridge that day, and the usual safety systems had failed. The gap between the two parts of the bridge was getting wider by the second. Gunter had to make a quick choice. As per Tower Bridge, one passenger, Peter Dunn, later talked about what the driver told them after it happened. Gunter said he could only think of two things to do.
