A man who believed the famous RouteMaster buses we

A man who believed the famous RouteMaster buses were ‘accidents
waiting to happen’ died after falling off the back of one, an
inquest heard today Wednesday.

Basil Lott, 61, rarely travelled on them after his
next door neighbour died falling off the open rear platform,
his son said.

Trevor Lott, of Smithwood Close, Southfields, told Southwark
Coroners Court: ‘My father never liked these buses.

He was quite
aware of the dangers involved.

‘Ironically our next door neighbour died after falling off the back
of a bus and he was very mindful of that.

‘He always said they were accidents waiting to happen.

‘Because of that, when he did travel on them, he always waited
for the bus to stop specially.

‘
Meidcal student Ralph Drury said he saw Mr Lott swinging from
the vertical pole on the rear platform with one hand as the
east-bound 159 bus went along Lambeth Road.

‘He seemed to be swinging on the pole so much so that the majority
of his body was hanging over the near side edge of the platform.

‘His whole body hit the road and I actually heard a crunch.

‘
He ran to where Mr Lott was lying in the road and did what he could
to stem the heavy bleeding from a head wound before emergency services
arrived.

Still on the bus was Mr Lott’s drinking friend, Mr Louis On (corr).

He said they had been on a ‘half-pint pub crawl’ through the West
End, during which Mr Lott won almost pnds stlng 100 from the bookies
– but was adamant that neither of them was drunk.

‘I’m assuming that the bus hit a hole.

That has to be the cause of
Basil falling off.

‘
He said the accident happened just after the bus passed some
gas roadworks.

‘It’s the fault of them damn gas people.

It doesn’t take much to
make a bus pitch like that,’ he said.

Police inspected the road and even rode on five buses to test how
bumpy the ride was but found it had not played a role in the accident.

Bus conductor Alvin Smith said Mr Lott was on the platform
for a matter of seconds before falling off.

He did not have time to tell him to go back into the main part
of the bus.

Police rejected plans to prosecute Mr Smith for failing to ensure
the safety of his passengers.

The Crown Prosecution Service was asked
for an independent opinion and a decision is pending.

Mr Lott, of Mountain House, Tyers Street, Kennington, died from
brain injuries on December 14 last year, three days after the evening
peak hour accident.

Coroner Sir Montague Levine said it would never be fully known what
caused Mr Lott to fall from the bus.

Verdict: accidental death.

ENDS