Bus company guilty after woman killed by lorry at Bedford Bus Station

A leading bus company has been found guilty after a woman was run over and killed at Bedford bus station.
Bedford Bus StationBedford Bus Station
Bedford Bus Station

Nicola Berridge was hit by a construction lorry after she got off an early morning bus during the old bus station's demolition in 2015.

She had stepped through a gap between two buses to get onto a pedestrian crossing, which was partially blocked by a lorry delivering sand to the congested site.

She stepped in front of the HGV as it began to pull away and suffered "catastrophic" injuries that caused her to die immediatley, a court heard.

Bedford Borough Council, which owns the bus station and organised the £8m redevelopment programme, has already pleaded guilty to four charges of breaching the Health and Safety at Work Act.

These include failing to ensure people in their employment were not exposed to risk, failing to make a suitable assessment of the risk to pedestrians being struck by construction vehicles, and not taking reasonable steps to ensure their contractors could work safely.

Bus company Cambus, a trading name for Stagecoach, denied the charges and a trial at St Alblans Crown Court started earlier this month.

Cambus has now been found guilty by a jury of failing to discharge a duty to non-employees under the Health and Safety at Work Act between 25 February 2013 and 14 February 2015.

The jury acquitted contractor DJT Surfacing Limited of an identical charge.

Both Cambus and Bedford Borough Council will be sentenced in October.