Heartbreaking (From Warrington Guardian)

Heartbreaking

'IF I could have missed him I would have done anything'.

The heartbreaking words of bus driver John McIntyre at the inquest into the death of eight-year-old schoolboy Dylan Lines.

Mr McIntyre was driving the number 14 Halton Transport bus that collided with Dylan as he darted out from between two parked lorries outside Asda last November.

Tearfully recalling the incident, the experienced driver described how he saw 'a flash of white' disappear underneath the bus moments after pulling into the middle of Milton Road to avoid two Asda lorries parked in a lay-by.

"The traffic in front had stopped and I could see the tail end of an articulated lorry sticking out about three or four feet into my side of the road," Mr McIntyre said.

"I waited for a gap, pulled out to get the bus round the back of his wagon and that put me in the middle of the road.

"I was watching the oncoming traffic and all I saw out the corner of my eye was a flash of white followed by two bumps. I stopped as quickly as I could. I didn't know what was happening."

Deputy Coroner for Cheshire Dr Janet Napier ruled that Dylan's death was an accident but said she would be writing to Asda and the local authority about the road layout because it could have been avoided.

The two Asda lorry drivers, Hugh Bennett and Peter Hussey, told the inquest that they had both parked in the lay-by to wait to gain access to the store's warehouse.

Both drivers said they were not aware of any official procedure to follow when making deliveries to either the Widnes store or others.

"As far as I was aware the lay-by was for our own use," Mr Bennett said.

"I believed the yellow lines allowed me to park there but others couldn't," Mr Hussey added.

Speaking after the inquest, Dylan's mum Jackie, 33, said she welcomed the coroner's comments.

"A lot more has come to light than I expected," she said.

"I'm glad because it might prevent it happening to another little kid, even though it's taken the death of Dylan for it to happen.

"Everyone still misses him, all the kids playing out, his sister Natasha.

"I used to get angry and blame him because he shouldn't have been there but now I feel different."