Jessica Evie BAKER · Prevention of Future Deaths report

On 05 October 2023 I commenced an investigation into the death of Jessica Evie BAKER aged 15. The investigation has not yet concluded and the inquest has not been heard.

Jessica was a 15 year old pupil who was a passenger travelling on the school coach from her home address in Chester to West Kirby Grammar School when the bus was involved in a one vehicle road traffic collision. Jessica and the coach driver died in the incident. There were over 50 students on board.
At approximately 08:03 hours a road traffic collision involving this bus has taken place on the northbound carriageway of the M53 motorway between junctions 5 and 4. This is in the Eastham area of Wirral, Merseyside. The motorway at this point is a generally straight stretch of road with three lanes and a hard shoulder in each direction that is separated by a corrugated metal barrier on the central reservation. The collision occurred on the northbound carriageway and this is bordered by a sloped embankment to the nearside that contains shrubbery, trees and general overgrowth. The coach was travelling in lane 2 of 3 (the central lane) and passing another vehicle to its nearside. Having completed this passing manoeuvre, the coach began to move back into lane 1 of 3 (the left hand lane). However, it continued to veer gradually towards the nearside. It has crossed the hard shoulder before leaving the carriageway altogether, where it has entered the embankment and into the overgrowth. It has continued forwards and up the embankment before striking a large tree which has then resulted in the vehicle lurching to its right before barrel rolling down the embankment and back onto the carriageway coming to rest predominantly in the hard shoulder.
CCTV from within coach shows that prior to the collision, The driver slumps/falls to his left hand side prior to the vehicle leaving the motorway and the collision occurring. During the course of the vehicle rolling down the embankment, a passenger on the coach, Jessica Evie Baker, was partially ejected from the vehicle and became trapped underneath it. This has resulted in catastrophic instantly fatal injuries. Jessica was pronounced deceased at scene by attending paramedics at 09.01. The driver was also pronounced deceased at scene at 08:50.
A Roads Policing investigation is ongoing – the court has directed evidence to be obtained and will review the investigation on 20ᵗʰ March 2024

This was a school commuter coach travelling on a motorway. It was constructed after 2001 and will have had seat belts fitted. Review of CCTV does not show the seatbelts were being used.

This coach had secondary school children on board. Some of the pupils those below 14 years of age would be expected to wear seatbelts under driver supervision.

The driver did not appear to be wearing a seat belt.

A distinction should be drawn between school buses in built-up areas and school commuter coaches travelling a distance using A roads and the motorway network – with regard to the availability and use of seatbelts.

I take judicial notice that using seat belts can prevent some injury altogether, make inevitable injury less severe and reduce the risk of fatal injury.

1.     What advice does government through the Department of Transport, or the Department of Education give to schools and colleges when contracting for school bus commuter products – about the use of seatbelts?
2.     What public information campaigns are being run about the additional road safety provided by the use of seatbelts?