Police will use CCTV footage from bus after it hits woman in Portsmouth

POLICE will use CCTV footage from a bus which hit a woman to help with their investigation.
A woman was hit by a bus in Copnor Road, Hilsea, Portsmouth
Picture: Jason KayA woman was hit by a bus in Copnor Road, Hilsea, Portsmouth
Picture: Jason Kay
A woman was hit by a bus in Copnor Road, Hilsea, Portsmouth Picture: Jason Kay

Officers in the case, in which a 59-year-old from Portsmouth suffered serious injuries, will use the tapes from the Stagecoach single-decker as part of their bid to work out what happened.

The woman involved remains in hospital with head and leg injuries after the accident in Copnor Road, Hilsea, just before 5pm yesterday.

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Acting Sergeant Jim Chapman told The News investigators believed the pedestrian was hit after going to cross the road when a van, pulling out of St Barbara Way, slowed down to let her go.

He said the police believed that the driver of the bus – which was heading north in the right-hand lane ready to turn right into Norway Road at the nearby set of traffic lights – did not see the woman as she stepped into the road as she was obscured by the van.

Acting Sergeant Chapman said: ‘The Stagecoach buses have CCTV cameras on the outside. We have those tapes and will be using them to help with the investigation and to see if we can work out exactly what happened.’

He added the woman’s injuries were serious enough that she had to be flown to Southampton General Hospital by air ambulance.

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Other emergency services were called to the incident and the road was closed for most of yesterday evening as investigations continued.

Acting Sergeant Chapman added: ‘We will be checking the bus to ensure it is in working order with no mechanical or maintenance faults.

‘Road checks were also carried out so we could get as much information as possible.’

People living on Copnor Road said they were shocked by what they saw.

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Jenny Lawrence, 31, said: ‘It was horrible to see the air ambulance landing because you know it must be serious.

‘I hope the woman is okay and the bus driver too.

‘It is a horrible thing to happen.’

Neighbour Lucy Brown added: ‘Considering this is a main route in and out of Portsmouth, there are hardly any crashes.

‘To see all the police cars, ambulances and fire engines was awful.’

Police are appealing for witnesses to the crash. Anyone with information should call 101.