A bus driver has been cleared of killing a pedestrian by careless driving.
Christopher Irwin, 46, was on trial at Glasgow Sheriff Court accused of causing the death of Kevin McFadden, 39, on 12th February 2020.
Court papers stated Irwin, of Paisley, Renfrewshire, was driving without due care and attention on a double decker bus.
It was claimed that he failed to make proper observations of the road including pedestrians such as Kevin.
The charge said Kevin approached and crossed at the junction of Battlefield Road and Brisbane Street near Glasgow’s Langside.
Irwin is stated to have executed a right turning manoeuvre from Battlefield Road into Brisbane Street when it was unsafe to do so.
The allegations said Irwin continued to fail to make proper observations of the road users and entered Brisbane Street when it was unsafe to do so.
Iwrin was alleged not to have given priority to pedestrians including Kevin who was crossing and caused the bus to collide with him whereby he was so severely injured that he died.
Passenger Natalie Scott told the court in her evidence that she got a “bit of a fright” after the bus hit Kevin.
She said: “I jumped out my side and saw the man lying on the ground.”
The witness told jurors she ran down the stairs and went to the exit door.
She said: “The driver was visibly distressed in a state of shock.
“The driver said ‘where the f*** did he come from?’
“I told him I didn’t know and that needs help and an ambulance.”
Euan Dow, defending, asked if there was anything out of the ordinary which took place prior to the incident.
Miss McGowan: “…my experience was it was a very safe journey, I didn’t feel at risk – there was nothing beforehand.”
She added that there was “absolutely nothing” in relation to concern about the manner of driving.
Irwin told police officers in an interview that he only became aware of Kevin upon impact.
He added: “There was no way I couldn’t have seen him before, he just wasn’t there.
“The first time I saw him was the impact on the side of the bus.
“At that moment, I was in shock.
“I didn’t really know what I was doing to be honest, my heart was pounding, I was a bag of nerves but he just appeared.
“I went to the work to do my work, I didn’t go to work to intentionally knock someone down.”
Irwin was found not guilty by the jury and he was formally acquitted by Sheriff Brian Cameron.