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Bus driver had no chance of avoiding fatal crash
A pedestrian was killed after crossing a road and being clipped by a school bus.
An inquest heard that Vyantas Abromavicius, 55, was crossing the A259 at Southbourne when he walked straight into the path of a bus which had been picking up pupils from Bourne Community College.
Patrick Dollery was driving the Emsworth and District bus towards Bosham when the accident happened close to New Road at around 3pm on December 10 last year.
The inquest in Chichester heard he had no chance of avoiding the collision.
Mr Dollery, from West Leigh, Havant, said he saw a pedestrian in the middle of the road, but thought he was going to stop.
Instead, Mr Abromavicius looked up, saw the bus and darted across the road.
Mr Dollery braked and steered left to avoid him, but clipped Mr Abromavicius with the front nearside of the bus before he reached the kerb.
A doctor and nurse from the nearby surgery were alerted to the accident by passers-by and administered first aid, but Mr Abromavicius died at St Richard's Hospital in Chichester from a head injury.
The inquest heard Mr Abromavicius, from Lithuania, had been visiting his daughter and son, who live in Chichester, and was sightseeing on the day of the accident. The inquest heard Mr Dollery was travelling at a speed of between 25 and 30mph.
PS Adrian Shaw, forensic collision investigator for Sussex Police, said: 'Once the bus had decided on a course of action, the bus couldn't change its course of action – Mr Dollery became a passenger in his own bus.
'The only person who could change their course of action in that situation was Mr Abromavicius.
'Mr Abromavicius made a decision, stuck to it and unfortunately on the day didn't get away with it.'
Michael Kendall, assistant coroner for West Sussex, recorded a verdict of accidental death.
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Saturday 11 February 2012
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