A momentary loss of concentration may have cost a woman her life when she stepped from the pavement into the path of a double decker bus.
Jane Hayward, 69, who was an actress was struck by the bus and dragged under the wheel of the vehicle.
She was killed on Saturday, June 15 of this year in the middle if Rickmansworth town centre at around 2.30pm as she walked eastward of the High Street towards the junction with Station Road.
Approaching the junction in the road was the double decker Arriva bus, which had eight passengers on board.
Today (Wednesday, November 13) an inquest into her death heard she died from multiple traumatic injuries at the scene of the collision.
The High Street and Station Road were part of a one way system through Rickmansworth.
The inquest heard the junction was controlled by traffic lights which allowed pedestrians to cross over the road and the one way system meant the bus had to turn left into Station Road.
The coroner was told that a police investigation into the death had established that, as the driver of the bus approached the junction, the lights had turned green and he had begun the manoeuvre to turn left.
It was described in court today as a “tight turn” and the bus was moving at just 5mph as it moved slowly into Station Road.
Bus driver Gavyn Young had almost completed the turn when he heard a noise and passengers on board shouted for him to stop.
He got out of the bus and he could see the arm of the woman sticking out from underneath the vehicle.
Mrs Hayward had been dragged under the front nearside of the bus.
CCTV camera footage was examined by the police investigators which established on reaching the junction she had walked out into the road despite the fact the traffic lights were green.
It could also be seen that she was looking to her left into Station Road and the bus was coming from her right.
The inquest was told the police had concluded the bus had been driven in the correct manner that day as it negotiated the left hand turn.
The coroner recorded a verdict that death was due to a road traffic collision.
He said: “She walked out into the road and was sadly struck by the bus. It seems she stepped out without looking and was struck.”
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