Investigation and inquest
On 12 May 2014 an investigation was commenced into the death of Maria Nekrasova, aged 18 years. The investigation concluded at the end of the inquest held by me on 19 February 2015. The medical cause of death was: 1a Severe traumatic head injury.
The conclusion of the inquest was: Accident.
Circumstances of the death
At about 1.50 am on 4 May 2014, the deceased, who had been drinking, was whilst standing in the hatched area in the middle of the carriageway of Westminster Bridge, London SW1, hit by the front offside of a licensed taxi cab being driven by an experienced night-time driver across the bridge from the Lambeth end towards the Westminster end, so that she was thrown up onto the bonnet and her head hit the windscreen, sustaining the severe traumatic head injury from which she died.
Coroner’s concerns
(1) There is nothing to prevent pedestrians crossing the carriageway of the bridge (such as a central fence) and neither is there any protection for pedestrians who have reached the middle of the carriageway (such as a central reservation);
(2) At night the level of street lighting is low, the lamp standards producing pools of light which have the effect of leaving contrasting areas of the carriageway in relative darkness;
(3) The glare of the headlights of oncoming vehicles makes it impossible for drivers of vehicles crossing the bridge to see pedestrians standing in the carriageway until it is too late to avoid hitting them.