Drunken pedestrian struck by bus wins traffic accident claim

One drunken pedestrian who was struck by a bus has recently won his traffic accident claim against the bus company.

54 year old Stephen Lightfoot had been trying to flag down a bus in November 2009 when he suffered his injuries, according to his personal injury lawyers.  While trying to flag down a bus in Langley Park, Durham, the driver of the vehicle collided with him after neglecting to spot him.

Mr Lightfoot’s accident claims include serious head injuries as a result of the collision.  His skull was fractured in the incident, and he additionally suffered a cerebral haemorrhage as well. Mr Lightfoot’s life has been changed forever in the wake of his injuries, as he now needs extensive support and care.

Mr Lightfoot’s legal team brought legal action against the bus service operator by claiming the driver of the bus had been acting negligently a the time of the collision. CCTV footage showed the driver had not been paying attention to the road during the incident, as his cab light had been switched on.  Moreover the driver had been reading from a bus timetable at the time of the incident.

The bus company denied that negligence on its driver’s part had been a contributing factor to the collision.  However, the driver had been fined £800 and has subsequently been convicted of careless driving.

In the wake of a recent Judge’s ruling the bus company is now liable for Mr Lightfoot’s injuries.  The court concluded that as he was performing an act not required for driving, the driver had not been paying attention to the road at the time of the accident.  The Judge stated that looking at the timetable was as distracting as altering a satnav system or using a mobile phone while driving.

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