Granddaughter of girl dragged below bus, Joan Scott, says driver ‘destroyed’ her complete household

The granddaughter of a lady from Tyneside who misplaced each legs after being dragged below the wheels of a double-decker bus says its driver has “destroyed my whole family”.

Joan Scott, now 85, is “like a shell of what she was” following the crash on 19 September 2021, Sarah Scott stated.

When she noticed on social media {that a} girl with a strolling stick had been concerned in an incident in Wallsend, she knew it was her “grandma” and went straight to the scene.

“There were still fire engines and the bus was still there,” Sarah stated.

“There were hundreds of people videotaping.”

Sarah added: “When we first got told she was going into surgery they said they would try their best to save her legs but at this point we didn’t know one was amputated at the scene.”

But neither of Joan’s legs could possibly be saved.

Now, practically two years on, the motive force of the bus, Scott Cliff, has been jailed for 27 months for inflicting critical harm by harmful driving.

He stated he had closed the doorways on Joan as a result of he thought she had tried to board earlier than with no move.

Cliff admitted the cost on the premise he didn’t know her stick was within the door when he pulled away, dragging her below the bus, and he wouldn’t have achieved so had he seen it.

Now, the household are calling for all drivers to point out extra compassion and consideration.

“He (Cliff) has shown no remorse whatsoever,” Sarah stated.

“I really hope he reflects about the decision he made that day. He destroyed my whole family.”

Joan spent a month in hospital earlier than shifting right into a care residence for six weeks after which again to her own residence.

She had just lately been recognized with the early levels of dementia, however the crash led to a fast decline.

“She’s like a shell of what she was,” stated Sarah.

“I go in and she really has to look at you before she realises who I am.”

Sarah gave up her job to take care of Joan but it surely “all got too much” and Joan needed to transfer right into a care residence.

Lucy Straker, campaigns supervisor for the street security charity, Brake, stated 5 folks die on the UK’s roads every day and “every single crash is preventable”.

“That’s why we call on everyone to be as safe as possible every time we get behind the wheel, whatever vehicle we are using,” she stated.

“You can go into autopilot mode and it’s easy to forget how devastatingly these crashes can happen.

“They occur straight away and it is all about these selections we make.”