A man who was dragged under a double decker bus died after waiting two hours for an ambulance, a court heard.
Bus driver Aston Hopwood, 47, is accused of causing the death of Steven Mitchell, 60, by driving the vehicle “without due care and attention” on in Peckham, South London on November 22, 2022. At the Old Bailey on Tuesday, jurors heard Mr Mitchell tried to board the 363 bus outside Peckham Library at around 10pm, but got his hand caught in the door and fell under the left rear wheel. The impact pulled the skin from his arm and broke his humerus. A witness, Alexandros Scurr, then spent around two hours trying to get Mr Mitchell medical attention as he bled under his jacket, the court heard.
Mr Mitchell was eventually rushed to King’s College Hospital where he underwent multiple operations before dying from multiorgan failure on December 18, reports My London. Hopwood, from Dulwich, claims he first learned of the incident when shown CCTV footage a few days later. He was sacked by bus operator Go-Ahead London, but successfully appealed to be reinstated only a few weeks later.
On Tuesday, jurors heard Mr Scurr’s phone call to 999 at 10.19pm. “I just witnessed this guy outside Peckham library trying to run after the bus, open the bus door. The bus sped away from him. He went under the bus with his leg and arm. I believe his arm is broken.”
During the call, Mr Scurr told the handler there was blood, but that Mr Mitchell was in too much pain for him to pull a sleeve up to check the nature of his injury. Mr Scurr then called a second time at 10.21pm to check on the progress of the ambulance, but the call handler told him the service was “very busy”.
After Mr Scurr escorted him to his address at a nearby hostel, Mr Mitchell called 999 a third time at 12.22am and told the call handler: “I got run over by a bus. I’m bleeding profusely and I have broken arm.” Emergency services attended the hostel at 12:35am, finding “a significant amount of blood”, including on the walls.
Mr Scurr later told police he saw Mr Mitchell moving alongside the bus with his arm extended, but was “not sure” whether his arm got trapped in the door. He said he escorted Mr Mitchell to the hostel as he thought emergency services would respond quicker if the phone call came from them. He also recalled a hostel worker telling the call handler ‘the arm was hanging off’, though he did not agree.
Paramedics on the scene found Mr Mitchell’s arm was “degloved” with “a large amount of muscle and flesh” coming away from the arm. Mr Mitchell underwent operations in hospital on November 22, December 7, and December 14, including for the repair of his fractured arm and the removal of dead skin tissue. There doctors also observed acute liver deterioration, pneumonia, and sepsis. His condition had further deteriorated by December 17, and by December 18 family agreed to end life support.
On the night of the incident, bus driver Hopwood told jurors he stopped the bus for two passengers – a young male and a young female – then performed a nearside check and roadside check before pulling out “without closing the doors”. Asked if he was expecting anyone else to board, he said “not at all”.
Hopwood agreed he failed to do a third and final check on the nearside. Hopwood also told jurors he went through an amber light to avoid stopping the bus suddenly, adding: “I judged it, maybe poorly, but I judged it.” When asked if the incidents were examples of bad driving, as the prosecution argue, Hopwood said: “I disagree. At all times in all those incidents I’m in control of the vehicle. I know exactly what I’m doing. I know exactly how to operate that bus.” Hopwood said he was “sick to my stomach” when he viewed CCTV of the incident for the first time, and felt “awful” at hearing Mr Mitchell had died, adding: “Knowing that I partly contributed to this gentleman’s injuring himself, and then that he passed away.”
Jurors were shown clips of CCTV footage which captured the incident. Describing one video, Prosecutor Adam King said: “The front doors open, and a male and a female passenger get on the bus. Mr Mitchell approaches the bus after them and, while the bus doors are still open, steps with his right foot into the bus and places his right hand in the door area. The bus then begins to move away, causing him to stumble and run along with the bus, his right hand still in the door area. Mr Mitchell then falls to the floor, close to the bus, which travels on past him and apparently over his right arm.”
The trial continues. Judge Leonard is expected to finish his summing up today, after which jurors will retire to consider their verdict.
Get email updates with the day’s biggest stories