Mother died of a broken neck after bus driver braked sharply and she fell over in front of her three children
Last updated at 10:05 AM on 7th June 2011
Tragedy: Julie Layton, 37, died a month after being paralysed when she fell as a bus braked sharply
A mother-of-three died after she was hurled to the front of a bus when the driver braked sharply.
Julie Layton, 37, broke her neck as the driver tried to avoid a car, an inquest heard yesterday.
She is believed to have hit her head on a coin machine and was paralysed from the neck down. She later died in hospital.
Bus driver Riaz Ahmed, who refused to be questioned at the inquest, claimed the car’s brake lights had not been working, though police later found this to be untrue.
Last night Miss Layton’s family demanded that he be prosecuted.
During a police interview, he also appeared to blame Miss Layton for not being able to keep her balance because she was overweight.
Mr Ahmed, 30, who was driving the Travel West Midlands bus on June 25 last year, had just picked up the mother and her three children from Birmingham at the start of his shift.
But as they walked towards the back of the No 18 bus, Mr Ahmed says he was forced to perform an emergency stop when a red car suddenly halted in front of him.
Witness Emma Walker, who was with Miss Layton when she boarded the double-decker, told the inquest that the victim appeared to have both hands free when she fell.
Paralysed: Julie Layton died of multiple organ failure following her accident on the bus. (File picture - bus shown is not the one involved in the incident)
She told Birmingham Coroner’s Court: ‘All of a sudden, Julie just went flying to the front of the bus.’
Miss Layton, from Weoley Castle, Birmingham, was taken to Queen Elizabeth Hospital where she died of multiple organ failure on July 22.
Coroner Aidan Cotter recorded a narrative verdict and said Miss Layton died as a result of a road traffic accident.
Her family said in a statement: ‘The family of Julie Layton, having heard the evidence, believe the Crown Prosecution Service should give consideration to criminal prosecution of the bus driver.’
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Andy, Leeds, 07/6/2011 12:01 - so we are all either fatists or racists?? give me a break... I was once on a bus and the driver took the corner so fast an elderly male was thrown from his seat, even i was gripping on (23 years old age) they seem to just not care about the passengers and fly from stop to stop. Not all drivers some are very pleseant and have a little chat!
- Stokley, Wembley,England, 07/6/2011 14:17
why don't buses have seatbelts! only this morning, i was wondering why don't buses have seatbelt, so many vulnerable people use buses.
- susie , uk, 07/6/2011 14:16
Hope this man is not allowed back to drive a bus again, and shame on him for not appearing at the hearing !Would it be to much to ask bus companies to order there drivers to wait until elderly at least sat down before moving off?and give them time to get on the bus ?drivers are now so rude and arrogant .
- Kat, Scotland, 07/6/2011 14:12
some dafty causes the driver to make an emergency stop and the bus driver gets the blame why does the driver always get the blame I was a bus driver and the abuse that drivers are subjected to on a daily basis is something else both the verbal abuse from the public and the abuse from the bus operators terrible shift patterns and having your pay docked when parked up the average driver works a 10 hour day and is paid for 8 so why not blame the car driver that caused the bus driver to take emergency measures if you must apportion the blame or accept that millions of bus journeys are made every day and tragic accidents like this are few and far between
- micky , portsoy scotland, 07/6/2011 14:10
It is surprising that more people were not injured when the bus came to such a shuddering halt. I wonder if the victim's weight played a part in her injuries.
- Toby, Ealing, 07/6/2011 14:03
I haven't used a bus for many years, there too expensive and the driving is far below standard. I have driven lorries for over 50 years, "now retired", and know from experience, that to avoid an accident keep away from bus drivers. Although not all of them are the same.
- J Graham, North Yorks UK, 07/6/2011 13:57
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