An elderly woman was hurt when the P4 bus to Brixton met with a minor accident outside the Dulwich Picture Gallery on February 29. The bus driver told the passengers that he had not noticed the speed bump and sped over it.

This resulted in the passengers being tossed around inside the bus. They heard a loud scream just as the bus hit the bump.

The commuters sitting at the back raised an alarm for the bus to be stopped immediately, as another man called an ambulance. The elderly lady was sitting completely bent over and screaming for help.

The P4 to Brixton. Pic: Udayan Sinha

“I don’t know the damn postcode, the lady is in pain and we need an ambulance,” said the man on the phone. Everyone on the bus stepped off to lessen the commotion inside the bus. The lady then lay down across the back seats with the assistance of the bus driver.

It had now been more than twenty minutes since the bus was parked, but the ambulance was yet to show. Most of the commuters had been transferred to the next bus, however some stuck around to try and provide any assistance needed.

After 25 agonising minutes, the ambulance finally arrived. The medics rushed inside to check on the woman, who was by now in excruciating pain.

She was made to wear a neck brace to prevent any further pain while moving her from the bus. She was then carefully stretchered into the ambulance while the medic asked her “where it hurt” and whether she had had any previous back injuries.

The bus driver was later heard being extremely apologetic to everyone for the fiasco, and said he “did not know how to forgive” himself.