Olisofa Popoola, a 60-year-old Nigerian bus driver, was arraigned in a UK court on Monday March 20, 2023, for the death of a pedestrian in London.
Popoola was driving an electric 507 single decker bus when he collided with another bus outside Victoria Station in London, killing 32-year-old Melissa Burr.
Jurors heard that Popoola was attempting to move his vehicle forward when he inadvertently pressed the accelerator instead of the brake, crashing into the back of another 507 bus that was waiting to pick up passengers outside the railway station.
Rather than stopping the bus, he continued driving forward after colliding with the other vehicle. Unfortunately, Ms. Burr was crossing the street at the time of the collision and was knocked down before being crushed under the vehicle.
Diana Mathuranayagam, the driver of the second bus, was thrown from her vehicle and suffered a badly fractured eye socket, according to reports.
Burr, from Rainham, Kent, was crossing the road with two colleagues when the tragic accident occurred around 8.25 a.m. on 10 August 2021.
Popoola told police after the accident, “My foot slipped off the brake and onto the accelerator and I have collided with the bus in front.”
Popoola admitted responsibility for the crash, but claims it was due to careless rather than dangerous driving, according to Prosecutor Alexander Williams.
Meanwhile, the trial is still ongoing, and no verdict has been rendered.
