The Argus - News, Sport, Brighton and Hove Albion and Entertainment for Brighton, Hove and Sussex

Passenger dies in bus fall

From the The Argus, first published Friday 15th Dec 2006.

A passenger died after falling in the aisle when the bus he was on screeched to a halt.

The 76-year-old, of Brunswick Square, Hove, hit his head when the driver of the double-decker Stagecoach bus was forced to make an emergency stop as a pedestrian wandered into the road with a can of beer.

The passenger was taken to the Royal Sussex County Hospital and then the Princess Royal Hospital in Haywards Heath, where he died on December 10.

Andrew Dyer, managing director of Stagecoach South, said: "Obviously our first thoughts are with the family of the deceased. It appears this was a tragic accident.

"The driver appears to have had no other choice but to apply the brakes suddenly. There was CCTV footage of the incident, which has been examined, and it shows the pedestrian, carrying a beer, stepping out into the road very suddenly.

"There was nothing the driver could do."

Mr Dyer said speed had not been a factor in the incident in North Street, Brighton.

He warned elderly or infirm passengers to remain seated until buses came to a standstill.

The incident is the latest in a series in which pedestrians have been hit by buses in central Brighton and the city council recently named North Street as the most dangerous road in the city.

A city council spokesman said last night: "We are unable to comment further on this particular incident pending completion of the police and coroner's inquiries, although our sympathies go out to the family and friends of the gentleman concerned.

"We are aware that the area around the Clock Tower and along North Street is a cause for concern.

"We are in the process of a detailed redesign of the route from St James's Street up to the Clock Tower to improve road safety on this busy stretch of highway."

Roger French, managing director of Brighton and Hove Bus and Coach Company, urged all pedestrians to take more care.

He said last night: "While I can't comment on this particular incident as it did not involve one of our buses, the common thread through all of these unfortunate incidents is the reckless action taken by pedestrians. That has to be the focus for how to prevent this."

Mr French has defended his drivers after recent crashes.

Investigations into crashes in Castle Square in August, when 14-year-old Irina Kolmakova died after being hit by a bus, and in Grand Parade, when a man recently suffered head injuries after walking in front of a bus, both absolved drivers from blame.

Stagecoach is carrying out an investigation into the latest incident.

It happened on December 6 but details were not released by the police, who are appealing for witnesses, for more than a week.

Witnesses who can still remember what happened should call 0845 6070 999.

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