Bradley Douglas: New Zealand man died after being struck by bus in London one month after moving to the UK

Bradley Douglas, 25, from New Zealand, was fatally struck by a bus near Clapham Junction station in south London last October, after a night out with friends. Douglas, originally from Whangarei on New Zealand's North Island, had recently moved to the UK as part of an overseas exchange programme.

Moments before the tragedy stuck, he had been asked to leave a nearby venue due to intoxication shortly before stepping into the road. Assistant coroner Jean Harkin told Inner West London Coroner's Court that Douglas sustained a "severe head injury" after the incident, leading to his death at St George's University Hospital five days later. His parents had flown to London from New Zealand and agreed the machines keeping him alive should be switched off. Det Const Matt Jackson, from the Met Police's Serious Collision Investigation Unit, said Mr Douglas "walked directly...into the path of a bus". Mrs Harkin, reading from the police officer's report, said: "[Bradley] was staying with his girlfriend in NW6 and was having a night out with his friends. He had been in the UK for one month. He had become intoxicated, resulting in him having been asked to leave the Clapham Grand entertainment venue.

"He leaves the venue and meets with his friends again. He walked directly across the road and into the path of a bus. He is propelled forward and lands on the road." The inquest, held last Wednesday (September 4), heard the driver brake immediately, having been driving near the 20mph limit, and attempted to steer away from Mr Douglas. Though the driver failed a roadside eyesight test and "shouldn't have been driving" the bus without wearing glasses, forensic collisions investigator Laura Muggleton said the collision could not have been avoided.

Collision ‘unavoidable’

She said: "CCTV showed that prior to the collision [Mr Douglas] had stepped into the road while the bus was navigating a right-hand turn into St John's Hill. As the bus was coming round, the pedestrian stepped out again and was struck by the corner pillar of the bus. "There appeared to be [an] indication of the driver reacting in a manner where a brake was applied within one second of the pedestrian entering the road before they fully stepped off the kerb."

Despite the bus driver braking immediately and attempting to avoid him, the collision was deemed "unavoidable" by forensic collisions investigator Laura Muggleton, who confirmed that Douglas stepped into the road while the bus was navigating a turn.

Assistant coroner Harkin concluded that Douglas died from a traumatic brain injury resulting from the road traffic collision and expressed condolences to his family, who were not present at the inquest. She said: "Could you please give the court's condolences back to the family? They have had a tragic incident to contend with, so our sincere condolences go out to the family."

His family consented to organ donation following his passing on October 11, 2023.