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Busway Deaths: Council Fined Millions
25 Feb
Summary
- A woman died after leaning into the path of a bus.
- The council was fined £6 million for safety failings.
- The victim had a diagnosis of paranoid schizophrenia.
A pedestrian, Kathleen Pitts, 52, lost her life on October 26, 2021, after she leaned into the path of an oncoming bus on The Busway in Cambridge. This incident occurred between Long Road and Hills Road.
Pitts' death was among three fatalities on the guided busway between 2015 and 2021. Cambridgeshire County Council subsequently received a £6 million fine for health and safety failings, with a judge noting the authority's "rigid and blinkered response" to the deaths.
The inquest heard testimony from the bus driver, Richard Musgrave, who stated he saw the pedestrian "bent at the waist into the track" and was unable to avoid the collision due to the busway's design. Another witness described a sudden movement of the pedestrian leaning into the bus's path.
Records presented at the inquest revealed Pitts had a diagnosis of paranoid schizophrenia and a history of psychiatric admissions. Mental health services noted recent communications regarding mental health crises and suicidal thoughts. A review by the Cambridgeshire & Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust concluded that Pitts had received "good care."
