Boy's bus death was an accident

Matthew Hobbs' mother said she did not blame the driver

A bus driver who knocked down and killed an 11-year-old schoolboy has wept at his inquest.

Matthew Hobbs, from Dartford, Kent, died from multiple injuries after being hit by a Fastrack bus in Prince's Road, Dartford, on his way to school.

Recording a verdict of accidental death, the coroner at Dartford County Court said Matthew's death had been "tragic and unfortunate".

Afterwards, his mother Valerie said she did not blame the driver.

'Ray of sunshine'

Paying tribute to her son, a pupil at Wilmington Grammar School for Boys, she said: "He was lovely... he was just a magical person. He was very intelligent, a ray of sunshine."

Arriva bus driver Josephine Pollard broke down in tears as coroner Roger Hatch read out her written testimony.

Mrs Pollard had pulled up at a red light at the junction with Darenth Road at about 0715 GMT on 9 January.

It was not until she pulled away into the bus lane, passing another bus at the junction as the lights changed, that she became aware of someone in front of the vehicle.

She said she had no idea where the person had come from.

Driven carefully

In a written statement, motorcyclist Gary Allies said he had seen two youths running quickly to the right of the bus towards him wearing dark school clothing.

He described how the younger boy stepped into the road then stepped back but was immediately hit by the bus.

Pc Dave Kirk, who examined the scene, said the collision happened outside the confines of the clearly marked pedestrian crossing.

He said the bus had been driven in a careful manner at the time, but its view may have been obscured by the two buses passing at the junction.

A tearful Mrs Hobbs, 49, spoke outside the court supported by her husband Leonard, 53, and family members.