Bus driver who died in crash which killed Kettering man was 'drowsy', inquest finds

A bus driver who died in a crash which also killed a passenger from Kettering showed signs of being “drowsy” and “inattentive”, an inquest has found.

Michael Elcombe, 45, from Swaffham in Norfolk, was killed when the First Eastern Counties bus that he was driving collided with an articulated lorry turning out of the Bretts Transport yard onto the A47 at Guyhirn, Cambridgeshire, at about 7.28am on June 26, 2018.

Brian Chapman, 76, from Kettering, who was sitting at the front of the top deck of the bus that was travelling between Peterborough and Norwich, was also killed in the crash.

Mr Chapman lived in Cherry Road and was a stalwart of SS Peter and Paul’s Church, where he had been verger for more than 40 years, and tributes were paid to him after his death.

Five other passengers suffered what were described as “significant” injuries by Coroner Simon Milburn, sitting at Peterborough Town Hall on Wednesday (April 19).

The lorry was being driven by agency worker Tyrone Mundell-Phipps, who survived the crash and gave evidence at the inquest.

The cause of death for both Mr Chapman and Mr Elcombe was declared to be multiple traumatic injuries – which were “significant” and “unsurvivable” suffered as a result of a road traffic collision.

Both were attended to by paramedics but passed away at the scene at 8.26am and 8.34am respectively.

The inquest heard that the bus was driven at a consistent speed of 53mph and that the road conditions and weather were fine and good, leading to no obstructions.

‘Inattentive due to drowsiness or fatigue’

Coroner Milburn concluded that Mr Elcombe had not fallen asleep at the wheel, such was the conclusion of a sleep expert, but instead that he showed signs of being drowsy and inattentive.

Dashcam footage from a minute immediately prior to the incident showed Mr Elcombe fidgeting in his seat before, yawning, having a “loose and unusual” grip on the steering wheel before spotting the lorry.

Coroner Milburn said: “It is clear in my judgement that Mr Elcombe did not note the presence of the Scania until that point – less than one second prior to the collision – even though it was an obvious obstruction in the carriageway and visible to him at least 160 metres and seven seconds prior.

“Immediately prior to the collision, Mr Elcombe was inattentive, probably due to drowsiness or fatigue, to the extent that he did not notice or react to the presence of the Scania and the trailer to the very last moment.”

Mr Elcombe’s sleep regime was ‘poor’

The specific reasons Mr Elcombe would have been drowsy of fatigued on that morning remain unclear but Mr Elcombe’s wife Sonia stated in a statement on Tuesday that he had gone to bed at around 10pm the night before, getting up at around 4am to go to work.

She did, however, admit that generally his sleep regime was “poor” and that he might not go to bed sometimes before 1am before getting up at 4am.

She said that Mr Elcombe had told her that he was previously involved in a collision having fallen asleep but the coroner was satisfied this happened before he was employed by First Eastern Counties in 2004 and the company had no knowledge of it.

Mrs Elcombe even reported being on buses driven by him when she thought he was falling asleep and that she would go and talk to him and/or give him a drink.

These incidents were also not reported to the bus company but a complaint was raised by a passenger in September 2017.

It was suggested to the coroner that a bus being driven by Mr Elcombe kept hitting the curb and that a passenger shouted to him ‘wake up,’ after which he apologised. The maker of the complaint left the bus at the next stop as a result of the driving.

The coroner also ruled that there was no evidence that Mr Elcombe had fallen asleep on that occasion.

The inquest has now concluded, no-one was prosecuted following the incident and Coroner Milburn offered an apology to the family of Mr Chapman, who were in attendance, that proceedings had taken so long to be heard.