Glasgow bin lorry crash driver ‘did not disclose previous blackout he had

The driver of a bin lorry that crashed killing six people did not disclose a blackout he had at the wheel of a bus when applying for a job with Glasgow City Council, an inquiry has heard.

Glasgow Sheriff Court has previously heard that the 58-year-old slumped at the wheel shortly before the crash.

He said he “knew the name” of Mr Clarke but did not know him personally.

Six people died three days before Christmas last year when a bin lorry lost control on Queen Street and mounted the pavement.

His report on the collision said the passengers were “physically obstructed” from properly reaching driver Harry Clarke, who the inquiry has heard appeared unconscious at the wheel.

Giving evidence today, Douglas Gellan, a 48-year-old cleaning services waste manager at the council, was asked by solicitor general Lesley Thomson QC if any changes had been made since the fatal crash in December.

Mr Clarke had to fill out a form before starting work with the council which stated he had missed seven days of work in the previous two years due to flu.

Mr Stewart asked why pedestrians were highlighted on the risk assessment forms but that there was no mention of the specific route taken by the lorry, only the stops where bins are collected.

The witness confirmed that medical assessment was outsourced to private firms and he agreed with Ms Bain that an employee found to have lied in medical questionnaires would face “serious disciplinary consequences”.

His medical records, shown to the inquiry gave the reason as “vasovagal” which was described in court as “fainting or blacking out”. It also showed a one-week period of sickness in March of the same year.

The inquiry heard that Mr Clarke was initially employed by the council as a school bus driver before applying to work in the road gritting department and then refuse collection.

Mr Gellan said: “No, not if he didn’t tell us”.

He had a DVLA (the government’s Driver & Vehicle Licensing Agency) assessment with a Doctor Willox on 6 December 2011. This was based on the report of bus inspector Mr Stewart.

Mr Gellan agreed that it was a lie.

‘But if he didn’t tell you, you wouldn’t have an opportunity to say “why, Mr Clarke?”‘.

He said that details regarding Mr Clarke’s medical history were news to him.

The conclusion of Mr Hill’s report into the collision, which was read at the inquiry, said pulling the handbrake in the vehicle would likely have stopped it “abruptly”, but could also have led to it skidding along the pavement leading to a “significantly higher” number of casualties. The witness replied: “No”.

He said: “It appears to me that there was insufficient time for Mr Telford and Mr Toal to avert a collision with the building line”. “I’ve no idea if it was the same bin lorry or not”.

Mr Hill also said the two crewmen had a more restricted view and were ” unlikely to have foreseen how long the event would last”. Mr Gellan replied: “Yes”.

After showing Mr Clarke’s First Bus record, Ms Bain asked the witness: ‘If you had been informed that someone had been off work for three weeks while employed for driving a bus, would a reasonable question be “why were you off”?

The inquiry is examining the lorry, its route and driver Harry Clarke’s health.

Erin McQuade, 18, and her grandparents Jack Sweeney, 68, and Lorraine Sweeney, 69, from Dumbarton, West Dunbartonshire, were struck and killed by the lorry on December 22 previous year.

Stephenie Tait, 29, and Jacqueline Morton, 51, both from Glasgow, and Gillian Ewing, 52, from Edinburgh, were also killed when the truck mounted the pavement before crashing into the side of the Millennium Hotel.