Bus driver who was reading peice of paper behind the wheel jailed over fatal collision

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A bus driver who was reading a piece of paper behind the wheel has been jailed for two years after hitting a woman crossing the road, police have said.

Simon Mumford, 54, from Ladysmith Road in Plymouth appeared at Plymouth Crown Court for sentence on Thursday, after pleading guilty to causing death by dangerous driving at a previous hearing.

Mumford was also disqualified from driving for six years, Devon and Cornwall Poice said.

The court heard the fatal incident occurred on 7 January while Mumford was driving a single-decker City Bus through Plymouth.

Police said after terminating the bus at the train station stop, he turned the bus back around and headed towards North Cross Roundabout.

Mumford then travelled along Western Approach towards the traffic light-controlled pedestrian crossing by a Sainsbury’s store vehicle entrance.

The traffic light controlled pedestrian crossing was on red. At the time Mumford had a piece of paper in his hand and was seen on bus CCTV lowering his glasses, looking down and reading the paper for four seconds.

During this time he failed to see the victim Amallia Elmasry crossing the road in front of him, police said.

Mrs Elmasry crossed the road when the lights changed from red to amber and was struck by the front of Mumford’s bus, causing catastrophic injuries. Mumford immediately stopped the bus. Mrs Elmasry died at the scene, police said.

Sergeant Samantha Pullen, from the Serious Collisions Investigations Team said: “This is tragic case which again demonstrates that even relatively brief periods of distraction on the road can have fatal consequences.

“There is no doubt Simon Mumford did not intend to take a life that day, but by taking his eyes off the road to read the piece of paper, he did not spot Amallia Elmasry crossing, leading to the collision that resulted in her tragic death.

“We’d like to express our sincere condolences to Mrs Elmasry’s family and remind motorists that regardless of what vehicle they drive, they must remain focussed on the road at all times to ensure the safety of themselves and others.”