‘NEVER AGAIN’
‘NO CHILD SHOULD DIE IN A ROAD ACCIDENT ON SCHOOL PREMISES’ – FAMILY’S PLEA AFTER MINIBUS DEATH VERDICT, AS MUM’S CANCER DIAGNOSIS IS REVEALED
THE mother of a boy knocked down and killed by a school minibus has been diagnosed with advanced breast cancer, it has been revealed.
Melanie Talbot was unable to attend the inquest into her son Ashley’s death this week due to her illness, her family said.
An inquest jury found the 15-yearold’s death was accidental after he was in collision with the vehicle at Maesteg Comprehensive School, near Bridgend.
In a statement released by lawyers after the hearing in Aberdare, the teenager’s family announced Ms Talbot faces surgery after recently being diagnosed with breast cancer.
They also called for improved road safety at schools and said no other child should die in a similar way to Ashley.
“The death of a child is a powerful reminder that all human life is precious and we share a world teeming with dangers that we as adults frequently dismiss,” they said.
“In the 21st century, however, no child should die in a road traffic accident on school premises. In schools more than anywhere else, the safety of children should be uppermost in everyone’s minds.”
Ashley died when he was running with a friend in a bid to be the first on his bus home when he was in collision with the minibus, driven by PE teacher Christopher Brooks, on December 10, 2014.
The motocross fan and budding mechanic went under one of the wheels of the vehicle, which was on its way to an after-school rugby match, and died at the scene outside the school.
After three hours of deliberations, the jury at Aberdare Coroner’s Court returned a majority conclusion of accidental death.
Andrew Barkley, coroner for Powys, Bridgend and Glamorgan Valleys, said he would be writing a Preventing Future Deaths report highlighting his concerns.
Mr Barkley told the court he would be addressing his report to the school and the local authority, and sending copies to the Local Government Association and the Welsh Government.
“My intention is to make a report. My report will be in relation to the design of the school and the operation thereafter,” he said.
“The purpose of the Preventing Future Deaths report is to bring to the attention of the authorities the risk of death and place on the public record the concerns I have and the hope the wider circulation will reduce the chances of a tragedy occurring.”
Dozens of people who heard or saw the incident or its aftermath gave evidence at the four-day inquest.
The jury heard how Mr Brooks prayed that he had hit a school bag rather than a person after he felt the minibus lift over something in the road and how he would not have had time to react before striking Ashley, from Croeserw, Neath Port Talbot.
He said: “I braked as hard and quickly as I could but there was not enough time.”
Ashley’s friend also collided with the vehicle and suffered minor injuries. The friend said he and Ashley were to blame for the accident because “they should not have been running and they had been taught while growing up (not to)”, in evidence that was read to the jury.
Mr Brooks was questioned by officers and South Wales Police announced in January last year that he would not face police action.
The road, which was lined on both sides by parked buses, was described as “an accident waiting to happen” by a bus driver who said the end of the school day was like “free-for-all”.
He said children were walking and running across the road from between parked vehicles as buses and cars were driven along the road in both directions.
Several pupils said they had either seen or been involved in previous near-misses between vehicles and students.
Bus driver Hedley Williams, who was standing nearby when Ashley was hit, told the hearing: “I always thought it was an accident waiting to happen.”
He added that he spoke to teachers about it, telling the jury: “I had the impression that I needed to keep quiet as I was only a bus driver.”
Mr Williams said there had been a similar incident the Monday before the accident when two pupils walked in front of the school minibus and were shouted at by the driver who managed to stop in time.
He said the school adopted new policies after Ashley’s death, which included extending the bus bays so they could all park on one side of the road.
The inquest heard there was now
a ban on vehicle movements between 2.55pm and 3.10pm.
PC Christopher Street, a forensic collision investigator, said the two boys would have been running at between 6mph and 10mph while Mr Brooks was probably driving at between 14mph and 17mph before the accident.
Maesteg Comprehensive was built by a private finance initiative on the site of a former coal washery and replaced the existing splitsite school when it opened.
In a statement issued following the conclusion of the inquest proceedings, the Talbot family said: “It is clear from the evidence that we have heard in court that the staff of the school were never satisfied with the design and layout provided and that they struggled to provide a secure and safe environment given the design restrictions imposed on them.
“The family are pleased to note that presently the Health and Safety Executive investigations are ongoing and they look forward to these being made public.
“Ashley was a fun-loving and enthusiastic boy with a sensitive nature and a sunny disposition. Even in the face of adversity, Ashley loved nothing more than to make people smile and he will be forever missed by those who knew and loved him.
“The utter loss and devastation following the accident has left the family broken and they will never come to terms with the death of their only son in such tragic circumstances.
“It has been an extremely difficult wait for the family in reaching this point today, however they wish to thank the coroner and his officers for the sensitivity they have demonstrated and for the continued support of the local and wider community.
“Ashley’s mother Melanie has been diagnosed recently with advanced breast cancer and now faces radical surgery – she regrets not being present at the inquest but is, regrettably, simply not fit to attend.
“The family wish to channel their grief into a campaign for legal change and improved safety on school roads, they are also grateful for the support passed on to them by Carolyn Harris MP whose own child died in similar circumstances.
“Ashley has been described as being ‘popular and well-loved’ by his class mates and the family want this to be the enduring memory of him.”
More than 250 mourners attended Ashley’s funeral, which was held two days before Christmas 2014.