Bus Accident on Saturday, I witnessed on the evening of Saturday, 5th October, near the Koko traffic lights, involving a young girl who was struck by a bus. Based on what I observed, I believe the driver was grossly negligent in his actions.

As I watched, the bus approached the pedestrian area at a speed that seemed unsafe, especially given how busy and built-up that area is. The young girl was in the process of crossing the road, and from my perspective, the driver had more than enough time to stop and avoid the collision. Unfortunately, the driver did not slow down or show appropriate care, and as a result, the bus struck the girl with significant force. I saw her body lift into the air and fall to the ground with a thud, looking lifeless and limp, like a rag doll. It was a heartbreaking and devastating sight.

What shocked me the most was the driver’s response, or rather, his lack of one. Despite the loud and unmistakable sound of the impact, the bus driver did not stop immediately. He did not exit the vehicle to check on the girl’s condition, and it seemed as if he was trying to drive away until I stopped the bus banging on the side of the bus to stop it.
I found this behavior deeply disturbing and unacceptable.

I believe the bus driver’s reckless actions have caused serious harm to the young girl, and he must be held accountable for his negligence. I also hope the London bus company will take responsibility and offer support and compensation to the girl and her family. This tragic incident is part of a worrying pattern of accidents involving buses, and I believe stricter speed limits, such as 20 mph in pedestrian-heavy areas, could help prevent future bus incidents. Had the bus been traveling slower, the girl may not have been hurt so badly.

I am writing this not only to report what I witnessed but also out of concern for the girl involved. I would like to know if she made it 😢

by larrysmith6383

14 comments

  2. Glad to hear you’ve reported it to the police. I’ve definitely been on buses where the driver has gone way too fast, I guess to finish his route asap, and driven recklessly. Sad to hear this happen …

  5. I work in Koko and was there on Saturday. What time was this?

  7. When it comes to being cautious towards pedestrians in London, bus drivers are the fucking worst. If someone halfway across the road , I often see bus drivers just carry on driving at them whilst beeping the horn instead of just slowing down and waiting

  9. I know a few bus drivers. 99% of them (and they will all agree) are sleep deprived. Most of them will do a mix of early and late shifts which disrupts their sleep schedule. It explains why they can be cranky or miserable looking.

    I hope the young lady made it. This is horrific and the actions of the driver afterwards sound so cruel.

  10. I got the bus home from Camden on Saturday, at around 8:45pm. It would not surprise me if it was the same driver on the return journey, the guy was going insanely fast.

  11. The speed limit *is* 20mph on most roads in the central zones of London. I’ve seen buses speeding so many times. Just last night, a bus was right on my tailgate, trying to get me to speed up. I’m not going over the speed limit, so I just let him be mad. This was on Junction Road towards Archway, where people often walk out into the road from between cars.

    The fact that he didn’t even seem to notice that he’d hit someone is horrifying. When you’re driving in London, you need to be consistently vigilant for people walking out into the road when you’re *not* approaching a crossing. To not notice someone on a crossing (or preparing to cross) is beyond dangerously negligent. It makes me wonder whether the bus driver was intoxicated or overtired. Hopefully, he won’t be driving any more after this.

    EDIT: I found [this](https://www.london.gov.uk/who-we-are/what-london-assembly-does/questions-mayor/find-an-answer/speeding-london-buses), which says that 45% of buses in London are now fitted with devices that limit buses speed to the posted limit. I’m not sure how this works, but if it works similarly to how the speed limit is displayed in my car, it’s often incorrect. I often see 30 on 20 roads – and I even saw a *70* the other day. Regardless, this seems to show that buses speeding is a big enough problem that the drivers can’t be trusted to adhere to the speed limit by themselves.

  12. The limit is already 20mph. Many bus drivers ignore that and go as fast as they like. I was on a bus (full of elderly passengers) in Wandsworth a few years ago, the driver swerved at 40mph, almost slammed into a wall trying to avoid crashing into a long queue of traffic which he was approaching too fast to take notice of. The bus stopped just a couple of inches away from the wall. As a driver I also see many buses speeding, running red lights, pushing into traffic and ignoring signs. It’s worse in Central and West London.

  13. Every SINGLE time I get the 368 to barking the bus has between 1 and 3 near misses.
    And I mean NEAR!

  14. I’m surprised there are still buses without speed limiter.

    I know you mentioned you reported it to the police and you didn’t get the bus route number. Might be worth using the TfL web form to add your perspective, the bus CCTV is quite horrible so your side of the story could help TfL.

    Date, time and location should be sufficient. Might be worth adding the police ref number, here is the form: https://tfl.gov.uk/help-and-contact/contact-us-about-bus-staff

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