Tourist’s Upper Ear Was Sliced Off In The Accident

A bus company that runs sightseeing tours around London has accepted liability for an accident in 2015 that left a tourist with a severed ear and hospitalised three others.

Ireneusz Luszczewski, 51, from Poland, was enjoying a trip around the city with his young son in August 2015 when the double-decker hit an overhanging tree branch in Bloomsbury. The impact was so forceful that it caused the roof of the bus to be removed from the body of the bus.

Following the incident, Ireneusz, also known as Irek, instructed expert international personal injury lawyers at Irwin Mitchell to investigate the cause of the accident and to pursue a civil case on behalf of Mr Luszczewski.

Now, more than two years after the crash, Irek’s legal team at Irwin Mitchell have secured an admission of liability from Golden Tours Ltd, the company that ran the bus tour. The company have admitted liability on a 95% basis in favour of Irek.

This admission paves the way for Irek to receive a settlement to help him overcome his life-changing injuries.

The agreement comes after Irwin Mitchell obtained CCTV footage from the bus that showed the driver, who was new to the company, using both hands to check a map while driving. The footage was taken immediately before the collision.

Daniel Matchett, the expert international personal injury lawyer at Irwin Mitchell representing Irek, said: 

Expert Opinion

“We welcome the decision by Golden Tours Ltd to admit liability, and we are delighted for Irek. He has been left with permanent and life-changing injuries from an accident which should never have happened.

“Irek was simply hoping to enjoy a pleasant sightseeing tour with his young son, but instead his holiday turned into a nightmare. We hope lessons will be learned to prevent similar incidents.

“We can now progress Irek’s case swiftly to ensure he is able to access the support, medical treatment and rehabilitation needed to help recover both physically and mentally from this ordeal.

“We are disappointed that the position adopted by Golden Tours Ltd in response to Irek’s claim means that formal proceedings at Court will be unavoidable, but we will take every necessary step to ensure that Irek receives the funds he needs to help him recover from this horrific ordeal and injuries.” Daniel Matchett - Associate Solicitor

Irek and his son, who were sat on the front row, were two of around 40 tourists on the upper deck of the bus on 3rd August 2015. The front section of this top deck was covered by a roof, whereas the rear section was open to the elements.

At around 1:10pm in Woburn Place, near Russell Square Tube Station, the bus collided with the tree.

Following the accident, all three emergency services were called.  Police closed the road around the accident scene whilst fire service personnel took steps to evacuate passengers and stabilise the bus to remove any remaining danger.  

Irek received emergency first aid at the scene from paramedics and was taken to hospital by ambulance. Both he and his son, who avoided major injuries, still struggle with the impact of the harrowing ordeal they experienced.

Speaking after the tour company admitted liability, Irek said: “I am grateful to Irwin Mitchell for helping me.

“After the accident, I said that I believed it happened due to negligence on behalf of the bus company and now this admission has proved that to be the case.

“I remember clearly the feeling of shock and fear when the accident occurred. Not only fear for myself, but also the safety of my son. I’ve been left with very serious injuries to my ear but I hope I can now begin to put this incident behind me and move on with my life.”

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