A SCHOOLGIRL, 15, was killed while waiting for her morning bus after a car “shot through red lights like a rocket”, an inquest heard.
Katelyn Dawson tragically lost her life at just after 8.30am, standing at her usual bus stop on Wakefield Road in Huddersfield.
Katelyn Dawson was killed while waiting for her school bus on January 10, 2018
The 15-year-old was described by friends as ‘amazing, kind, funny and beautiful’
The horror unfolded on January 10, 2018, and Bradford Coroner’s Court heard how the driver, 51 at the time, was never prosecuted.
It it believed he suffered a medical incident at the time of the fatal smash.
The Crown Prosecution Service previously ruled that the BMW driver had likely fainted as a result of a respiratory tract infection.
Several medical experts are due to give evidence later in the hearing.
Katelyn, a beloved pupil at Shelley College in Huddersfield, was transported to Leeds General Infirmary by air ambulance after the smash.
The teen was pronounced dead shortly afterwards.
A woman, 47, and another youngster, 17, were also seriously injured as the car veered off the road.
The inquest heard emotional witness testimonies from two other drivers at the scene.
One, who was travelling behind the BMW, stopped at a set of traffic lights which were on red.
She told the court she saw the car “shoot straight through the lights like a rocket” before hitting the bus stop.
The witness told how the vehicle looked as though it sped up and she did not see the driver braking or steering.
Meanwhile, a motorist who was ahead of the BMW at the traffic lights said she heard the car “revving” before it “shot off”.
She told the court she saw the black car swerving between lanes and thought he could be attempting to dodge other cars.
The inquest heard he was sat stationary behind her car at the lights moments before the collision.
The same witness said she saw the BMW driver get out of his car after the crash and he appeared “normal”.
Heart-wrenching CCTV footage from the horrific crash was also played, at which point Katelyn’s heartbroken parents left the room.
The harrowing video evidence showed how the vehicle had driven straight on, missing the curve of the road.
It then ploughed into the bus stop which caused the structure’s roof to collapse.
‘DEVASTATION’
The inquest heard from Katelyn’s parents, who spoke of their daughter as a typical teen preparing for her GCSEs.
Dad Colin told the court: “You can never try to put it into words what it has done mentally and physically.”
He told how the family “will never get over it”, and of the “devastation” left behind.
The year 11 pupil was described by friends as “amazing, kind, funny and beautiful” in emotional tributes at the time of the tragedy.
The driver of the car which hit the bus stop is due to present evidence at the inquest at a later date.
It is expected to conclude next week.
Katelyn’s heartbroken family spoke of their ‘devastation’ at the inquest Published: [#item_custom_pubDate]
