A tour bus company has admitted to liability after a Polish tourist’s ear was severed in a crash when the driver took both hands off the wheel to look at a map.
Four tourists were left injured and dazed when a Golden Tours double-decker bus smashed into a low-hanging tree branch, ripping off its roof in August of 2015.
Ireneusz ‘Irek’ Luszczewski was sitting in the front section of the top deck during the collision and the impact lopped off the top part of his ear.
The crash happened in Woburn Place, Bloomsbury, and CCTV footage shows the driver using both of his hands to look at a map.
Ireneusz ‘Irek’ Luszczewski’s ear was severed in a London tour bus crash when the driver took both hands off the wheel in August of 2015
The crash happened in Woburn Place, Bloomsbury and CCTV footage shows the driver using both of his hands to look at a map
With Golden Tours admitting to 95 per cent liability, Mr Luszczewski’s lawyer said it could mean a hefty payday for his client, who suffered ‘permanent and life-changing injuries’
The 51-year-old sued the company and is now set to rake in thousands of pounds as Golden Tours admitted to 95 per cent liability for the accident.
Mr Luszczewski was on the top level of the bus with his son, along with around 40 other passengers on the day of the crash.
The Polish national said he was ‘shocked and terrified’ and ‘feared for my safety and the safety of my young son.’
‘After the accident, I said that I believed it happened due to negligence on behalf of the bus company and now this admission has proved that to be the case’, Mr Luszczewski told a court, reported the Evening Standard.
With Golden Tours admitting to 95 per cent liability, Mr Luszczewski’s lawyer said it could mean a hefty paycheck for his client, who suffered ‘permanent and life-changing injuries’.
Now the court will be asked to determine compensation and damages for Mr Luszczewski’s injuries and for the accident.
The 51-year-old sued the company and is now set to rake in thousands of pounds as Golden Tours admitted to 95 per cent liability for the accident
Mr Luszczewski was on the top level of the bus with his son (pictured together), along with around 40 other passengers on the day of the crash. The Polish national said he was ‘shocked and terrified’ and ‘feared for my safety and the safety of my young son’
Mr Luszczewski was on the top level of the bus with his son, along with around 40 other passengers on the day of the crash
Mr Luszczewski was given emergency first aid at the scene by paramedics and was later taken to hospital by ambulance
International personal injury lawyers at Irwin Mitchell have been instructed to pursue a claim for compensation on behalf of Mr Luszczewski.
The lawyers claim they would help him with his recovery and any rehabilitation he will need following his serious injuries.
Mr Luszczewski was on a trip to the capital with his young son when they made the decision to pay for a trip on the double-decker Golden Tours Ltd bus.
They were sitting in the front section on the top deck when the bus collided with a tree in Woburn Place, Bloomsbury, an impact that almost ripped the roof clean off.
As the upper section hit the overhanging branch, Mr Luszczewski claims he was struck in the face and head by components of the bus, which caused his ear to be severed in half.
Several people, including a newlywed bride on her honeymoon, were taken to hospital following the incident.
Several people, including a newlywed bride on her honeymoon, were taken to hospital following the incident
The impact – which was described as ‘like a bomb going off’ – left a large branch in the road, near to Russell Square tube station, along with debris and shattered windows from the bus
Mr Luszczewski was on a trip to the capital with his young son when they made the decision to pay for a trip on the double-decker Golden Tours Ltd bus.
The roof of the 11.8-tonne bus – which was carrying about 40 tourists at the time – was later pictured hanging off to one side, dangling from the upper deck onto the road.
The impact – which was described as ‘like a bomb going off’ – left a large branch in the road, near to Russell Square tube station, along with debris and shattered windows from the bus.
A spectator who helped Mr Luszczewski and his son said she had found the 49-year-old collapsed on the top deck with half of his ear ‘hanging off’.
Following the accident, all three emergency services were called. Police closed the road around the accident scene whilst fire service personnel took steps to evacuate passengers and stabilise the bus to remove any remaining danger.
Mr Luszczewski was given emergency first aid at the scene by paramedics and was later taken to hospital by ambulance.