Bus driver who struck rail bridge was wearing headphones and using phone, Inverness Sheriff Court hears
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THE driver of a double decker bus which hit a low bridge had earphones on and was using a mobile phone at the time, Inverness Sheriff Court has been told.
Ross Ralph lost his job with Stagecoach after he drove the double decker into the railway bridge at Balloch in April of this year.
Sheriff Margaret Neilson heard how Ralph had earlier on his shift been using the double decker on a bus run to Cromarty. Then he had to take passengers to Croy via Inverness retail park.
But he didn’t change to a single decker for the 26b service and he struck the railway bridge in Balloch Road. The court was told it cost £47,000 for a replacement bus.
Depute fiscal Laura Ryan said she did not know if the bus could be repaired after the accident.
"At the time there was a passenger upstairs at the front of the bus. When the bus arrived he commented he was surprised because it was normally a single decker bus."
She told Sheriff Neilson CCTV footage on the bus showed Ralph was viewing his mobile phone and had his earphones in at the time of the accident.
"He was distracted and only reacted after the collision."
The accident happened in the evening after 7pm and no-one was injured.
"The passenger was able to get down without difficulty," said the fiscal.
Ralph (35) of Bruce Avenue, Inverness admitted on April 4 on Culloden Road, Balloch driving carelessly when using a mobile phone and he failed to observe the height restriction and collided with the railway bridge causing the roof to collapse and danger to passengers and other road users.
John McColl, solicitor, said that following the incident Ralph was dismissed by Stagecoach but he had secured employment on a lower class of vehicle.
He said Ralph had no previous convictions and a clean driving licence.
Mr McColl said there was whole set of circumstances which led to the accident.
"Unfortunately he had [been] working driving on the route to Cromarty."
At the start of each route drivers are given a sheet but no-one had told him to change his vehicle when he was on the Croy run.
"There was damage to the bus but not a great deal of damage to the bridge itself."
Mr McColl said the accident was the result of him not paying attention and his lack of understanding that the bus would not clear the bridge.
He said Ralph normally drove single decker buses and to his mind he was driving a single decker.
Sheriff Neilson endorsed Ralph’s licence with eight penalty points and fined him £500.
