The driver of a bin lorry that killed six people in Glasgow city centre days before Christmas last year had blacked out at the wheel at least once before. An inquiry into the crash learned that Henry Clarke – known to friends and family as Harry – had passed out at a bus stop while working as a bus driver in 2010.
On Wednesday the inquiry heard crewmen on the bin lorry describe their attempts to rouse Clarke after he apparently lost consciousness at the wheel and began ploughing through pedestrians in George Square. Jack Sweeney, 68, his wife, Lorraine, 69, and their 18-year-old granddaughter, Erin McQuade, all from Dumbarton, were killed when they were struck by the vehicle before it crashed into the side of the Millennium hotel at around 2.30pm on 22 December.
Stephenie Tait, 29, a primary school teacher, and Jacqueline Morton, 51, both from Glasgow, and Gillian Ewing, 52, from Edinburgh, also died in the accident, which happened as the area was teeming with last-minute Christmas shoppers and visitors to the ice rink and amusements in the square.
An inspector with First Bus, John Stewart, told Glasgow sheriff court that he witnessed Clarke driving the bus minutes after being told by the passenger of another bus about the incident. Referring to a daily report log from 7 April 2010, Stewart said that he was surprised to see the bus pull up with Clarke still driving, and that Clarke then confirmed to him that he had blacked out for a couple of minutes at the previous stop.
Stewart told Clarke that he couldn’t drive and that he was going to return the bus to the depot himself. Clarke started feeling unwell again, and this time an ambulance was called. Reading from his notes, Stewart said: “The driver is checked out and given the all clear by paramedics, driver refused to travel to hospital.”
Under cross-examination by Dorothy Bain QC, who represents the family of Jacqueline Morton, Stewart confirmed that Clarke had blacked out and then decided to drive the bus again. Bain said: “He shouldn’t have done that,” to which Stewart replied: “You will have to ask the driver.”
The court heard that there was a facility on the bus for Clarke to contact the depot and tell them what had happened and that it was unsafe for him to drive, but that he had not done so.
The inquiry was ordered after prosecutors announced that Clarke would not face criminal proceedings for his role in the accident. It will consider the driver’s medical background, his fitness to hold a licence and his employment record and training, as well as examining whether anything could have been done to halt the lorry.
