Girl, 16, On Her Way To School, Hit By Four Cars And A Double-Decker Bus After Drivers Thought Her Body Was A Dead Animal
A 16-year-old college student was on her way to class when she was struck by four cars and a double-decker bus who mistook her body for a dead animal. She was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the Daily Mail.
On December 1, 2014, Jessica Dunning was walking to the bus stop along A158 in Skegness, Lincolnshire, at approximately 7 a.m. when she was struck by a Mazda MX5, leaving her immobile in the middle of the dimly-lit street.
Jessica Dunning died on A158 in Skegness after being struck by FOUR cars and a bus… http://t.co/mscHRZCBUZ
— UK News Information (@AnglosearchNews) July 23, 2015
Four more vehicles: a Mazda MX5, Citroen C3, a Ford Focus and a double-decker bus, ran over the young teen as her wounded body lay in the street. The drivers stated Wednesday that they believed she was a dead animal in the street.
“It was so dark,” said Peter Whitfield, who was one of the drivers that hit the young girl as she lay hurt on the dimly-lit road. “There was no street lighting. There was a bump and I thought it was an animal.”
“I immediately stopped. A man came and told me to go back to the car and an ambulance came.”
Sources say Dunning was on her way to Lincoln College where she was studying law and sociology when she was killed.
When paramedics arrived at the scene, she was pronounced dead. However, doctors at a local hospital stated that due to the impact, it was impossible for her to survive the horrific incident, according to Mirror.
After the tragic incident, coroner Stuart Fisher who ruled the death as a “result of road collision” has stated that he is going to “urge the local authority to install street lighting on the road to prevent a repeat of the tragedy.”
“I propose to ask the county council to install lights to the west of South View for the safety of pedestrians and in line with a new holiday park being built in the area.”
In court, a statement was read on behalf of Jessica’s father, Ben, saying “Jessica was a genuine, nice and trustworthy girl.”
“She had her whole life to look forward to and we will all miss her. This has left a great hole in our lives.”
Concerned residents are also taking action to lower the speed limit to 40 mph as it is currently 60 mph.
“I have been here for 16 years and in that time I have seen lots of accidents, including tragic fatalities,” said 60-year-old resident Carol Crutchlow, the owner of Poppy’s restaurant.
“The road is far too fast.”
[Image courtesy of Sam T / Flickr / Creative Commons]
