Busway death: Man tells of moment wife hit by bus

A man has told an inquest about the moment his wife died after being hit by a bus after Christmas shopping.

Jennifer Taylor, 81, died as she tried to cross the guided busway with her husband, John, at Fen Drayton, Cambridgeshire in November 2015.

The couple were forced to cross the busway in the dark after missing their stop, an inquest jury heard.

Mrs Taylor suffered severe trauma injuries across most of her body, including her brain and pelvis.

The inquest heard Mrs Taylor's injuries were so devastating that she likely died instantaneously.

Mr Taylor said the couple were "almost joined at the hip" and were "always together".

He said the pair had decided to take the bus from Swavesey because they were going Christmas shopping and didn't want to take their car into Cambridge.

After missing their stop the couple were told by their bus driver to get off at Fen Drayton and cross the road to the bus stop on the other side, Mr Taylor told the jury.

The inquest heard the night was dark and windy making it difficult to see and hear.

Mr Taylor said he saw the lights from a bus but thought there was enough time to reach the other side.

He only became aware his wife had been hit when he saw her in the road having been thrown "like a rag doll" by the impact of the crash, he said.

Abigail Pateman, a student on the bus which hit Mrs Taylor said she heard its horn blaring and saw a woman who "looked like she was trying to get off the path".

She then heard a "bang" which "sounded like when a bike falls", but later realised it was the bus hitting Mrs Taylor.

Mrs Taylor was declared dead at the scene by a Magpas Air Ambulance doctor.

The inquest continues.