A city bus driver has said he still suffers flashbacks following an incident in which the bus he was driving hit and killed a pensioner last September.

Galway Coroner's Court heard on Thursday that 71-year old Philomena Beatty suffered multiple injuries, including a fractured skull, when she was hit by the Bus éireann vehicle on Sunday 23 September.

The incident occurred as Ms Beatty returned from mass in Renmore to her home in Glenina Heights at approximately 12.40pm. A number of witnesses testified that on crossing the road, the pensioner failed to look to the right before stepping onto the road outside the Bons Secours hospital. She was subsequently hit by the vehicle, which failed to stop in time to avoid Ms Beatty.

Despite medical attention on the scene from two doctors from the nearby hospital, Ms Beatty died in the early hours of the following morning at University Hospital Galway. Cardio respiratory failure and violent head injuries as a result of a road traffic accident were determined as the cause of death.

Addressing the court, the driver of the Bus Eireann vehicle, who has since returned to work, said he had done everything he could to avoid the pensioner and still thought about the accident every morning when he woke up. Still images from a CCTV camera taken from the bus appeared to show the accident happen but relatives of the deceased asked for the video not to be shown to the court.

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