The driver of a bus which hit and killed a Wellington runner was not at fault, a coroner's inquest has been told.
The inquest into the death of Venessa (EDS: CRRCT) Ann Green, 40, resumed today in front of Coroner Garry Evans in Wellington District Court.
Ms Green was running along Willis Street in central Wellington on June 28, 2011, when she stepped onto the road and was hit by a bus.
She died in Wellington Hospital the following day.
Sergeant Peter Sowter, officer in charge of the serious crash unit in Wellington said two witnesses who were travelling on the bus said Ms Green did not look to the right towards the lane the bus was in before she was hit.
There was no fault by the driver, who could not avoid Ms Green and acted promptly when the crash happened, Mr Sowter said.
"The indications are that Venessa was immediately off the footpath and was immediately struck."
The driver was travelling within the road's 30km/h speed limit, he said.
There were also no mechanical problems with the electric trolley bus.
But he said the electric buses were quieter than diesel buses.
"You can't listen for the sound of the engine revving up as it moves away...you still have to look for traffic."
Ms Green was the first pedestrian to die since the opening of the priority bus lanes in central Wellington in 2010, which has led to a rise in the number of people hit by buses.
Accidents between pedestrians and vehicles along the so-called Golden Mile bus route in central Wellington have led Wellington City Council to introduce more safety measures.
The inquest continues.
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Accidents along the Golden Mile bus route
- February 2014: A woman was hit by a Go Wellington bus as she was crossing Manners St, near the bottom of Cuba Mall. She was taken to hospital in a serious condition.
- March 2013: A cyclist is hit by a bus on Manners Mall.
- July 2012: NZ Bus director Tim Brown suffered serious injuries after he was hit by one of his company's own Go Wellington buses on Willis Street.
- August 2012: A woman in her 40s was knocked down by a bus on the corner of Hunter and Featherston streets.
- Nov 2011: A 25-year-old woman was wearing earphones and looking at her cellphone when she stepped into the path of the Go Wellington bus in Manners Street.
- June 2011: Venessa Green, 40, was out jogging when she was struck by a bus on Willis St in the central city, after she stepped off the footpath, and onto the road.
By Rebecca Quilliam of NZME. News Service
