Bus driver cleared over OAP death
The driver of a bus which hit and killed a pensioner in the Black Country has been cleared of causing death by dangerous driving.
A jury took an hour to decide John Connolly was not to blame over the accident at Walsall bus station in which Jean Crump was knocked down on a pedestrian crossing. He was also cleared of a lesser offence of careless driving.
The 63-year-old driver, of Darwin Close, Burntwood, denied the charges and always claimed there was a mechanical fault with the Arriva bus after it surged forward and hit Mrs Crump, of Lime Avenue, Bentley.
There were tears from members of both families as the verdict was returned at Wolverhampton Crown Court yesterday afternoon.
Mrs Crump, aged 65, died and her friend Jennifer Fiddler suffered serious injuries in the accident at the St Paul's Street bus station on July 9, 2007.
The prosecution claimed driver error was to blame but the defence said there was a fault with the accelerator cable which caused it to snag and cause the bus to surge forward.
As the emotional driver walked free from court he was comforted by relatives. His solicitor Louis Carter said: "Mr Connolly has always maintained there was a defect on the bus, the expert evidence showed it was the case and justice has been done.
Mr Connolly didn't have a stain on his character when he went into the court and that is still the case. It is a tragedy and Mr Connolly has always felt it was a tragedy for the women involved. He has nothing but sympathy for the family."
Relatives of Mrs Crump were too upset to speak after the verdict was returned.
Pc Richard Harris, from the Walsall road policing unit which investigated the collision, said: "Following this tragic incident we accept the findings of the court."
