Why don't we do it in the road 
2003 Reader Submission
Pending Acceptance
www.sundaytimes.co.za
A bus driver who ran over and killed a canoodling couple as they lay in the street at midnight was banned from driving this week.
Paul Liversage, who ran over Paul Cowley, 40, and Kim Fontana, 32, after mistaking them for a bag of rubbish, was found guilty of careless driving, reports Britain's The Sun tabloid (06 Feb 2003 www.thesun.co.uk).
But after the hearing Liversage's bosses said he would not be sacked - just transferred to other duties until the driving ban was over.
District judge Alan Williams said Liversage should have slowed down when he saw a bus in front of him manoeuvring around an obstacle in the road.
He added: "He had reason to be on his guard because of what he'd seen in the distance, but he wasn't driving slowly enough to stop in an emergency."
Liversage, a commercial driver for 20 years, was banned for six months and fined £300 (about R4 200).
Cowley, a father of four, and Fontana, a mother of three, had been kissing and cuddling in the middle of the road in Sheffield, England, after going on a date.
Liversage, 56, who was doing 50km/h, told the court: "It all happened so fast, I don't think I could have done anything."
Relatives of the victims said they were glad Liversage had kept his job.
Cowley's sister, Dawn, said: "I feel a bit of sympathy for him - he should have slowed down, but I realise you don't expect to find people lying in the road.
"They'd been out for a drink and were larking about. They must have thought they could move away before anything came along.
"There are no winners in all this. Seven children have lost their mum and dad."
Robert Gorringe told the court earlier that he had halted his car in front of the canoodling couple. They had refused to move and he was forced to manoeuvre around them on the poorly lit road.
He told the court: "I sounded my horn three times, but it had no effect on them. It was a male and a female and I could see the man was on top.
"I shouted, 'You want to get up or otherwise you'll be run over.'
"The man simply said, 'Cheers mate' and I heard a female voice laughing."
Police accident investigator Michael Whittingham said: " One can expect a pedestrian in the road walking or running, but to expect a driver to anticipating pedestrian lying in the road is out of the ordinary."
Submitted on 02/11/2003
Submitted by:
Cheryl-Ann Bernhardt
Reference:
Sunday Times - 09 Feb 2003
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