Taxi Driver Online

Disabled man suffered head injury when wheelchair toppled over in taxi

https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/bris ... ol-3331348

The driver did not secure the chair

A man in a wheelchair suffered a serious head injury after his wheelchair toppled over inside a Bristol taxi.

The taxi driver, who has had his licence revoked, pushed the man into the back of his cab and put his wheelchair’s brake on but failed to secure it.

During the journey, the wheelchair toppled backwards and the man suffered a head injury. He had to go to hospital and underwent a CT scan to check for serious damage, and was treated in hospital.

The incident, which happened earlier this year, came to light after a complaint was made to Bristol City Council and details were discussed at a council committee held to review the taxi driver’s licence.

Councillors on the city council’s Public Safety and Protection Committee heard the driver, who has not been named, had a ‘lengthy previous history’, according to the Neighbourhood Enforcement Officer who gave evidence to the committee.

The committee decided to revoke the taxi driver’s licence revoked with immediate effect.

A spokesperson for the Neighbourhood Enforcement Team said: “Earlier this year a complaint was made to the council about the driver’s failure to secure a wheelchair in his taxi which, it was alleged, resulted in a serious accident.

“Officers found that the driver, instead of securely strapping the wheel chair, had simply put the wheel chair brake on and, as a consequence, during the journey the wheelchair toppled backwards and the passenger using the wheelchair injured his head.

“The passenger had to go to hospital and required a CT scan,” she added.

wonder if the drivers name was Homer perchance

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Taxis Are Public Transport too

Join the campaign to get April fools jokes banned for 364 days a year !

I always do it to the letter cos I know if I didn't the customers solicitor would Take me to the cleaners and back!

Suspect it's still pretty common to do what the driver did, though?

Not if you have any respect for the passengers safety !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Taxis Are Public Transport too

Join the campaign to get April fools jokes banned for 364 days a year !

Some might say it's the norm.

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IDFIMH

Some never learn and it costs them dearly,do not think that this case has ended by a long chalk.

Bristol taxi driver loses appeal to regain his licence after disabled passenger injured

https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/bris ... al-3768571

The wheelchair toppled over inside the taxi during the journey

A former taxi driver whose licence was revoked by Bristol City Council has lost his court appeal to win back his badge.

The council had ruled that Jalil Mohammad was no longer a ‘fit and proper’ person to hold a Hackney licence back in September after a passenger suffered a head injury when his wheelchair toppled over inside the taxi.

Mr Mohammad had pushed his customer, Barry Sowden, into the back of his cab but failed to secure it with the appropriate restraints and belts, Bristol Magistrates’ Court heard at a hearing on Wednesday (January 22).

During the journey on July 7 last year, the wheelchair toppled backwards and Mr Sowden, who was 76 at the time suffered a head injury.

Due to the fact Mr Sowden had undergone brain surgery seven months earlier and was on special medication he had to be taken to hospital for a CT scan to check for serious damage.

Mr Sowden, who was a great-grandfather has since died, but his death was in no way connected to the incident involving the taxi.

His wife Margaret Sowden told the court that herself and her husband were “completely shaken” by the incident.

She said the couple had travelled from North Lincolnshire by train for the grandson’s wedding in Bristol and were joined by their daughter-in-law and granddaughter for the last part of the journey.

The family arrived at Bristol Temple Meads around 2.30pm on Sunday, July 7 and made their way to the taxi queue located at the front of the station entrance.

Mrs Sowden told the court that two women were waiting in the queue in front of them when a larger “minibus” style taxi pulled up driven by Mr Mohammad.

“They told us to go in front and take that taxi as it would be better for the wheelchair,” added Mrs Sowden.

But she claimed the driver was annoyed that she and her family were “jumping the queue” and didn’t seem “very pleased” at having to take them.

Mr Mohammad told the court he was “happy” to take the four passengers and began to lower the taxi’s ramp.

CCTV footage shown in court saw Mrs Sowden waiting at the foot of the ramp with her husband Barry sitting in the wheelchair.

The video shows Mr Mohammad attempting to push the wheelchair into the taxi, but he had forgotten to lift the safety guard edges and the wheelchair could be seen starting to tip off the ramp.

The wheelchair was caught and prevented from tipping, Mr Mohammad then lifted the safety guards and pushed Mr Sowden into the taxi.

Mrs Sowden told the court that she and her two family members joined her husband in the taxi and the driver said to her to “make sure the brake was on”.

She said she had never travelled in a taxi before with a wheelchair so assumed that was all she needed to do.

After dropping her two relatives off at a hotel in Bristol the taxi driver set off with Mr and Mrs Sowden in the back.

After pulling away the driver made a U-turn and at this point the wheelchair tipped over backwards and Mr Sowden hit his head.

The court heard that the driver, Mr Mohammad, stopped the vehicle immediately and went to check on his two passengers.

He and Mrs Sowden lifted the wheelchair and Mr Sowden back into a seated position.

But Mrs Sowden told the court that Mr Mohammad did “nothing to secure the wheelchair” after the accident. He continued on the journey and transported the couple to their hotel without any further incident where they were greeted by their daughter Gail and son-in-law Iain.

The court heard that the medication Mr Sowden was on at the time meant that any head injury could have serious implications including bleeding and on arrival at the hotel the family decided he should be taken to hospital.

The court heard that as a result he missed out on a “big family party” where he was due to meet his great-granddaughter for the first time.

There was no permanent injury as a result of the incident and Mr Sowden was released from hospital later that night and was able to attend his grandson’s wedding the following day.

But the court heard that he was “completely shaken by the incident”.

Speaking through an interpreter Mr Mohammad told the court that he was “extremely sorry” for what happened that day.

When asked why he had not secured the wheelchair properly he said that he had mentioned “securing the chair” to Mrs Sowden but that she had “told him not to worry”.

He also said that after the wheelchair had toppled over he had put restraints around the chair for the second leg of the journey, something Mrs Sowden said did not happen.

The court heard how Mr Mohammad had a good reputation for transporting wheelchair users and had a number of character references from his employee and customers.

He said this incident was “a mistake” and his solicitor referred to it as an “isolated incident”.

But the Magistrates’ decided to uphold the council’s decision to revoke Mr Mohammad’s licence.

They said he was responsible for securing the wheelchair in the taxi and that he was “not a credible witness”.

The Magistrates’ agreed with the council that what happened was “so serious that we consider him not to be a fit and proper person” to hold a taxi licence.

At least he's persistent


Bristol taxi driver's licence bid refused after passenger head injury

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-bristol-61923213

A taxi driver who lost his licence after a disabled passenger suffered a head injury has lost his latest bid to regain it, council papers say.

Jalil Mohammad had his hackney carriage driver's licence revoked by Bristol City Council in 2019 when he refused to secure the passenger's wheelchair and it tipped over causing a head injury.

Mr Mohammad said he was being punished for a "minor mistake".

But councillors refused a new bid due to several incidents from 2002 to 2019.

Bristol City Council public safety and protection sub-committee refused Mr Mohammad's latest application, made in April, after a failed bid two months earlier, according to recently published minutes of the private hearing.

The minutes said the panel was not satisfied he was a fit and proper person to hold a licence because of a series of complaints and allegations, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

These included allegations of dangerous driving and overcharging in 2002 for which he lost his licence; receiving two police cautions that caused him to again lose his licence in 2013; and an allegation about his behaviour in 2004, which resulted in applications to re-gain his licence being refused and court appeals dismissed, the panel heard.

'Refused to secure wheelchair'

In 2018, having regained his licence, Mr Mohammad was accused of using his mobile phone while driving with a passenger in the car and "also driving into a barrier". This was investigated by police but "due to errors and prosecution deadlines not being met the matter was discontinued with no further action", the minutes said.

The following year, Mr Mohammad had "refused to secure the wheelchair" used by disabled pensioner Barry Sowden before a trip from Temple Meads station, which led to Mr Sowden toppling backwards in it and hitting his head, the panel heard.

The 76-year-old passenger, who has since died of unrelated causes, had undergone brain surgery seven months earlier and was on special medication, so was taken to hospital for a CT scan.

Three character witnesses vouched for the driver at the latest hearing at City Hall on 19 April, including a Bristol Temple Meads station supervisor, mosque chairman and boss of a funeral firm.

Mr Mohammad told the panel the medical statement about the wheelchair accident showed it was a "minor issue" and that the sub-committee had been "misled" over its seriousness, the minutes said.

He said he had committed some offences in his early days but had paid the price for these.

The council papers say the panel found that "this demonstrates that the severity of the matter is not understood".

All trade members should be aware of the consequences of carrying wheelchairs and prams, pushchairs and buggies.
If stopped by the police and the above are not strapped in correctly you will be charged with carrying an unsecure load which can result in a big fine or even loosing your license.

It happens here all the time. There is only the one WAV and he never straps wheelchairs down. There was an incident where he had an electric wheelchair in the car and when he came to put the ramps out for the chap to leave the vehicle the chap reversed out whilst the driver was still fitting the ramp and caused him an injury. He mentioned to another driver that he was going to make a claim for the injury I thought I had better warn him against such action.

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Grandad,
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