An outraged mother has spoken out after her 18-month-old son suffered a bump on the head during a bus ride as a result of ‘reckless driving’. Katie Ashley, from the Langley area of Middleton has said that Go North West have not given her an apology, only that they are looking into the incident on June 23.
Katie and her son Jake were taking a trip into Middleton’s centre when the bus took a corner ‘quite fast’. This led to Jake - who was in his pram - hitting a pole.
The toddler was left with a large bump on his head as a result of the incident.
“It was like it happened in slow motion as I went to get the pram,” Katie, 29, said. “I could not quite grab him in time.
“I got him out straight away to make sure he was alright. There was no apology from the driver.
“I said what if that were an elderly person or a disabled child. It could have been a lot worse.
“I would like some accountability on this. It is important to make people [in the bus company] aware that this has happened.”
Katie said that her partner, Darren Robinson was unimpressed by what the couple claim was a disregard for passenger safety. The 49-year-old challenged the driver at the time but got no response, they claim.
Katie did say that Jake is luckily not too shaken up by the incident and that he has been his normal self despite the bump on his head. For Katie though, a bus journey, which she would do quite regularly using the 18 bus, is something that now brings anxiety.
“It makes me anxious getting that bus now,” the young mum continued. “I have got the 18 bus a few times before and I have never had this issue.
“Jake is alright now. He causes chaos on the regular and he is back to doing that now.
“The bus company does have a duty of care for passengers though. The driver was just going too fast.
“Jake was upset at the time. He had a bump on his head.”
Katie said that the toddler, who she describes as a ‘cheeky chappie who is always doing something he shouldn’t’, is back to his normal self now. After getting in contact with Go North West, Katie claims she was given no apology, only that they were looking into the incident.
A spokesperson for Go North West said: “We are sorry to hear that a child bumped his head on one of our buses. We are aware of a complaint from this passenger and are looking into the circumstances."
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