Bus driver victim was Phillip Ferris

A bus has crashed into a duplex, killing the driver and critically injuring a man inside the home.

Rescuers on the scene of the crash. Picture: Channel 9 Source: Supplied

The scene of the bus crash in Empire Bay. Picture: Channel 9 Source: Supplied

THE 60-year-old victim of yesterday's bus crash has been named as Phillip Ferris, a married father of two and grandfather of five.

Mr Ferris had been driving for Busways for about 18 months and is thought to have suffered a massive heart attack seconds before his bus hit two parked cars and smashed into a double-storey house at Empire Bay, a suburb of Gosford, about 4.15pm.

A 58-year-old man who was in the front of the townhouse when the bus crashed into it sustained significant head injuries and is fighting for his life in Royal North Shore Hospital.

Mr Ferris died at the scene and his body was recovered from the wreckage about 11pm last night.

A woman who was also inside the house was treated for minor injuries.

Eleven people on board the bus were treated at the scene by paramedics for minor injuries, including cuts and abrasions.

Witnesses heard two "explosions" shortly after 4pm, with one describing the carnage at the intersection of Rickard and Greenfield Rds as "something out of a movie".

The 11 passengers escaped with minor injuries. They were treated at the scene.

The owner of the townhouse, who neighbours said had only moved in weeks ago with his wife and adult daughter, was last night in a critical condition after he lay trapped under debris in his lounge room.

His daughter, who escaped with minor injuries, rang her mother who arrived at their ruined home moments later.

Resident Nathan Wall had just parked his car on Greenfield Rd and was about to open his gate when the bus slammed into his car.

"A couple of seconds earlier and I would have been gone," he said.

"It hit the cars and speared off and kept going, no brakes. I thought well, he's not stopping and then it appeared to gain momentum. It was like watching something out of a movie."

Robert and Jane Hallows were in their living room three doors down from the townhouse when they heard the first "explosion".

Mr Hallows ran to his side window to see the bus charging through the intersection "at a great rate of knots".

"I knew he wasn't going to make that corner," he said.

"The whole house shook."

Rescue crews at the scene of the bus crash. Picture: Mark Scott Source: The Daily Telegraph

 After that he said it was just "pandemonium" - with neighbours rushing out from everywhere to help get the passengers off the bus through a side door.

Mrs Hallows, a nurse, said she assessed them as they got off, with a girl aged about 11 with a cut to her head among the worst injured.

Mr Hallows said he climbed up to look at the driver, who was slumped behind the wheel motionless and partially covered by the roof of the bus and rubble.

"That was the biggest mistake, I didn't need to see that," Mr Hallows said.

"He took three breaths while I was there but they were far apart ... and he had a laceration to his scalp that wasn't bleeding.

"Parts of the house were falling down around me."

Fire and Rescue NSW crews attempted to stabilise the building but it wasn't until late yesterday evening that Police Rescue were called in to recover the driver's body.

Heidi Robertson saw the crash from her house on the corner: "I've heard he's had a heart attack and he's hit the two cars first."

In a statement, Busways offered its sympathies to the victims and said it was assisting authorities in their investigation.

"We are devastated to have lost our driver, who sadly passed away at the accident site," the statement read.

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