Pedestrian killed in Dudley bus crash could not be seen until it was too late, inquest told
A bus driver spotted a pedestrian just one second before a fatal collision took place due to a blind spot on the vehicle, an inquest heard.
James Christopher Reade collided with a single-decker bus as he crossed the road near Dudley Bus Station on January 30, Black Country Coroner's Court was told.
Mr Reade, 64, of Station Hill, Dudley, died from a "devastating brain injury" four days later at Queen Elizabeth Hospital, said area coroner Joanne Lees.
The court heard he was thrown to the floor and remained there until paramedics arrived at the junction of Fisher Street and Castle Street.
The bus had just left the depot on Fisher Street and was slowly turning into Castle Street when it collided with Mr Reade, who was crossing the road.
The driver, who worked for National Express, was interviewed under caution by West Midlands Police but no criminal charges were brought against him.
He told officers that he saw Mr Reade "a split second before impact". A police investigation corroborated the driver's statement.
A recreation of the collision found that an officer, acting as Mr Reade, only came into view of the driver "one second before impact", the court heard.
"It was established there was a blind spot," said Mrs Lees.
The probe, carried out by the force's serious collision investigation unit, also established that "speed was not a factor in the collision", said police.
CCTV footage, pointing at the junction, showed a pedestrian hold their hand up when they were halfway across the road, the court heard.
Mrs Lees said: "The bus emerges from the right at slow speed and collides with him."
The driver told officers he had a "clear head throughout the manoeuvre", while CCTV footage showed him paying attention, the court was told.
Mr Reade had been at a pub before he crossed the junction but there was no suggestion he was intoxicated.
His traumatic injuries were revealed during a scan at hospital but doctors concluded there was "no surgical solutions" to help him, said Mrs Lees.
She accepted the medical cause of death given by doctors as a devastating brain injury. Mrs Lees recorded his death as being from a "road traffic collision".
She added: "I offer my sincere condolences to the family on Mr Reade."
