Bus death driver 'had cough fit'

Mrs Davies' husband Martin was one of the first on the scene

A bus driver who hit and killed a lollipop lady may have lost control of his vehicle after suffering a coughing fit, a court in Manchester has heard.

The bus crossed the road and mounted the pavement where it hit Stephanie Davies, 35, and scraped the school wall before stopping, the jury were told.

She was trapped under the vehicle and died at the scene.

Stephen Wilson, 57, of Coniston Grove, Salford, denies causing death by dangerous driving.

Mrs Davies, of Wychbury Street, Salford, was fatally injured as she worked near Seedley County Primary School on Liverpool Street on Monday.

Her husband Martin, who had come to meet her and collect their daughter Anna from school, was one of the first on the scene and was heard screaming "My wife, my wife" after seeing her underneath the bus.

Mr Wilson was behind the wheel of the single-deck M10 Arriva bus service when the incident happened in September 2006, Minshull Street Crown Court heard.

I saw Stephanie's hat on the ground. I saw her under the bus. I knew she was dead. I was hysterical Victim's husband, Martin Davies

Prosecutor Adrian Farrow told the jury of 10 women and two men that Mr Wilson's driving fell "far below the standard to be expected of a careful and competent driver".

He added that the collision was caused by a "gross lack of concentration or distraction".

Mr Farrow suggested the collision was a result of Mr Wilson being distracted after suffering a coughing fit.

Mrs Davies, a mother-of-two, had been standing at traffic lights outside Seedley County Primary School in Liverpool Street, Salford, where she worked as a lollipop lady.

Moments before the collision the victim, who wore a high visibility jacket and cap and carried her lollipop, had helped children cross the road.

The bus crossed the road and hit railings, knocking down Mrs Davies and scraping the school's wall before coming to a stop outside nearby shops.

Mr Farrow said: "Instead of driving along the carriageway normally it began to move inevitably and relentlessly across the road."

The victim's husband Mr Davies said in a statement read to the court: "When it registered, I knew it had something to do with the crossing.

"I saw Stephanie's hat on the ground. I saw her under the bus. I knew she was dead. I was hysterical."

Kirstie Partington, a student, said in a statement also read to the court: "I saw the lollipop lady turn, when she saw the bus coming she put her hands up to protect herself."

Jean Pearson, a passenger on the bus, told the jury the driver suffered a coughing fit shortly before the collision.