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Prosecutions could follow depot death
AN INQUEST determined that a bus driver crushed between two vehicles died accidentally, despite concerns over safety at Eastbourne Buses.
Roy Trundell, 62, of Solway, Hailsham, died after a bus reversed into him on September 4, 2006. The driver who hit him, Ben Jones, told Eastbourne Magistrates Court he had not seen Mr Trundell or the bus which he had driven into the Birch Road depot and from which he had alighted.
Mr Jones, 33, who left the company following the incident, told police there was no one behind him when he got into his vehicle.
PC Helen Donovan, of Sussex Police, confirmed that Mr Jones could not have seen the bus Mr Trundell drove into the depot in his mirrors as it was narrower than his own.
Mr Jones, who reversed unaided, trapped Mr Trundell between the two.
He had to reverse as a bus was blocking him in at the front.
Drivers at Eastbourne Buses were required to complete a five minute safety check before moving off, which included testing reversing alarms, which all but six of the fleet were fitted with.
Workshop manager Ian Stringer said the alarm in the bus Mr Jones drove, unlike some, could not be switched off.
Giving evidence, Mr Jones said he had completed the safety check but the court heard the form drivers tick to show it has been done was not completed.
Mr Jones had been running late that morning.
Coroner Alan Craze said, "You can imagine what's going through my mind. The man is late, his bus is late.
"The duty card is blank. The obvious question is whether he did his duty checks."
When questioned, Mr Jones said he could not remember if he had checked the reversing alarm but the coroner said the driver told the Heath and Safety Executive (HSE) in an earlier statement that he heard it sound.
An HSE spokesman said Eastbourne Buses and individuals employed by the company at the time of Mr Trundell's death could be prosecuted. The watchdog's investigation is still in progress.
PC Helen Donovan, of Sussex Police, said Mr Trundell had been wearing a high-visibility fluorescent jacket as he moved through the yard.
But drivers giving evidence painted a picture of a company where safety measures were often not enforced.
Mr Jones said the instructions to use yellow-marked walkways in the yard were "very lax" and agreed with the coroner that there was a gap between what employees were told to do and what actually happened.
In a statement read aloud at the inquest, driver Anthony Wheatley said some drivers left the depot in the morning ticking all the safety boxes but not actually checking the bus for defects. He had also heard stories of buses hitting other vehicles when reversing.
Jane Brabham, another driver, said she would get other drivers to see her back when reversing but this was something she did because of advice and common sense, rather than a rule.
Paul Burns said he had never received any reversing training before becoming a driver.
Andrew Christian, an HSE health and safety inspector, said the company did not have safe procedures for reversing vehicles.
Since Mr Trundell's death, Eastbourne Buses has brought in a dedicated banksman who supervises all reversing drivers, there are signs enforcing the 5mph speed limit and all buses are fitted with reversing buzzers.
The jury sitting in the inquest recorded a verdict of accidental death, after being advised by the coroner to do so.
Speaking after the inquest, Mr Trundell's widow Mary said, "I know no one goes into work to kill anybody, of course they don't.
"But all the things that led up to my husband's death were people not doing their jobs properly."
A spokeswoman for the bus company said, "Staff and management at Eastbourne Buses Ltd suffered a tragic loss in the incident in 2006.
"Roy will always be remembered and the company reiterates, as was the case at the time of his death, that thoughts remain with the Trundell family.
"Issues of safety were raised at the time of the tragic incident. Comments on the improvements made since that time have been stated throughout the inquest.
"As the matter is still to be concluded by the Health and Safety Executive, the company finds it inappropriate to remark further on those improvements at this stage."
Mr Trundell died shortly after he was trapped between the buses at Eastbourne District General Hospital.
The man affectionately known by passengers as the 'Cockney bus driver' because of his London accident had two children and three grandchildren.
He had been married for almost 41 years and was described by his wife as a calm and relaxed man who doted on his family.
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