On 22 February 2016, Mr Van Chuyen Le, employed by Cambus Limited trading as Stagecoach East, lost control of the bus he was driving which caused it to jump over the guided section of the track and cross an adjacent path onto the side of a grassy embankment.

As a result, five passengers sustained various injuries including whiplash and a fractured spine, pelvis and ribs.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) undertook an investigation and found that Mr Le was reading a time duty card at the same time as driving the bus and therefore he did not have a hold on the steering wheel and was unable to properly see the busway in front of him.

The HSE also discovered that Mr Le was driving at 52mph despite a maximum recommended speed of 30mph in the area.

Mr Le was sentenced at Huntingdon Magistrates’ Court on 9 August 2018 to 12 weeks’ imprisonment, which was suspended for 12 months, and was also ordered to pay costs of £2,000 after pleading guilty to breaching Section 7(1) of the Health & Safety at Work etc Act 1974.

If you should have any questions about your legal obligations in relation to Health and Safety in the workplace and need a specialist health and safety solicitor, call James Lowe, our Regulatory and Licensing Partner on 07833 240 400 for advice and assistance.