Totnes bus crash: Double-decker driver gets driving ban

The driver of a bus which overturned and left dozens of people injured has been banned from driving for 12 months.

Kameron Allan, 21, from Paignton, was driving the double-decker bus when it crashed near Totnes, Devon, in 2019, injuring most of his 56 passengers, Plymouth Crown Court heard.

The court heard he became distracted when his jacket and a hi-viz vest were sucked out of a window.

He admitted driving without due care and attention and was also fined £250.

The Stagecoach Gold service was travelling from Torquay to Plymouth when it crashed on the A385 on 5 October 2019 between Totnes and Paignton.

Ten people were seriously injured in what was declared a major incident.

The court heard Allan, then aged 19, was employed as a scheduler in the office, had only driven a double-decker bus three times before and was unfamiliar with the vehicle and the route.

In a victim impact statement, passenger Cheryl Russ said she had "never experienced pain as I have as a result of this collision", had been unable to work since and now had PTSD.

Allan had been charged with 10 counts of causing serious injury by dangerous driving, but prosecutors accepted a plea to a lesser single charge of driving without due care and attention.

Defending, barrister Neil Fitzgibbon said: "Stagecoach should never have put this young man in this invidious position. He is not a bus driver but is a hobbyist bus driver.

"Stagecoach should not have said to a backroom boy come and take charge of a double-decker without the familiarisation or supervision of a route. It was madness."

Mr Fitzgibbon said it was a "momentary, brief error of judgement" by Allan and he was "devastated, consumed with regret, guilt and full of apology".

The judge, Mr Recorder Llewellyn Sellick, said driving a bus with passengers was "a responsibility of the highest level" and Allan was "plainly" not giving his full attention to driving for a period of 18 seconds while trying to get the jacket and tabard back.

He said Allan should have stopped to deal with it.

Allen was also told his driving licence would be endorsed and he was ordered to pay a victim surcharge.

After the sentencing, Stagecoach said it was "deeply sorry for what happened".

It said safety "is and always will be our first concern", and an "internal disciplinary review is ongoing" as a result of the crash and the court case.

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