Archway wheelchair user dragged along road by bus: ‘Move this dangerous crossing before someone else gets hurt’
Rebecca with son Chae, 10, by the crossing on the corner of Hazellville Road and Hornsey Road where she was hit by a bus (Picture: Ken Mears) - Credit: Archant
A wheelchair-bound woman this week recalled how she thought she was going to die when a bus hit her at a zebra crossing.
Rebecca Bruce's wheelchair, pictured in the ambulance after she was hit by a bus in Hazellville Road on March 21, was written off (Picture: Rebecca Bruce) - Credit: Archant
Rebecca Bruce, 40, said her chair was dragged along the road by the bus before the driver “realised what happened”.
It happened on the crossing of Hazellville Road, after the 41 bus turned out of Hornsey Road.
Mrs Bruce, of Carrington Court, Hornsey Rise, was hospitalised for four days with injuries to her intestines and gall bladder. She is now calling for Islington Council to move the crossing further away.
Recalling the March 21 incident, which happened at about 2.20pm, she said: “I was going across the road and the bus came at me. It hit the side of my wheelchair and dragged me along for about four seconds before he realised what had happened. I just remember thinking: ‘Please look at me – I want to live.’
“It’s way too close. Vehicles turn from Hornsey Road and there’s only a couple of metres before the crossing. What if the driver doesn’t see the crossing?
“For all the people of the N19 area, particularly children and the disabled, this is so dangerous. I can barely even look at it, the memory is that traumatic.”
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Scotland Yard said no action will be taken against the driver.
A council spokesman said: “This must have been a very traumatic incident and we wish Ms Bruce a speedy recovery. Officers were happy to meet Ms Bruce to discuss her concerns and reassess the site.
“All pedestrian crossings in Islington are located according to national safety guidelines that take account of nearby junctions, bus stops and so on.
“This is a well-used crossing and we have not previously received complaints or requests to move it. Having reassessed the crossing, we remain satisfied that this is the best location for it in that area.”
