A CORONER described the death of a much-loved Bradford woman who went above and beyond for people as a huge loss at her inquest.
June Martin, from Denholme, died after she was struck by a car on Wakefield Road in November 2019.
The mother-of-seven set up Mpika Village of Hope to support orphans in Zambia and helped the homeless and refugees in the UK.
Assistant coroner Angela Brocklehurst described Ms Martin as an amazing lady.
“She had a vision for the future – we need more people like that,” she said.
Some of Ms Martin’s children – Rose-Marie, Marian, Michael, David and Sam – attended the inquest.
They said she was always smiling and she helped to make a “small part of the world” a better place.
Ms Martin, 62, boarded a bus at Bradford Interchange to visit her partner, before realising she had gotten on the wrong one.
She got off at Wakefield Road, intending to walk back to the Interchange.
She crossed the first three lanes, before being hit by a Vauxhall Astra shortly after 5.40pm.
The driver stopped and called an ambulance.
Ms Martin died at the scene.
The inquest heard it was a dark and rainy evening. Witnesses described Ms Martin as wearing dark clothing and added that she was holding either a hood or a scarf over her head and looking down as she crossed the road.
A witness also said she did not respond to him beeping his car horn, while a forensic investigator added Ms Martin last used her mobile phone at 5.42pm – “very close” to when the collision is thought to have occurred.
Toxicology findings did not suggest Ms Martin was in any way intoxicated.
The driver of the Astra tested negative for alcohol and drug use and his car was not found to have any faults.
He said he did not see Ms Martin and that it was like “something had dropped from the sky on to my windscreen”.
A forensic investigation officer added: “Calculations show there may not have been enough time for the driver to fully react and avoid the collision.”
Ms Brocklehurst suggested Ms Martin’s “anxiety” over getting the right bus – “prompted by an earlier call with her partner” – may have contributed to her not looking at the traffic.
Ms Brocklehurst added: "My conclusion is that June Martin came by her death as a result of head and chest injuries from a road traffic collision."
Speaking to Ms Martin's family, she concluded: “Think of the wonderful times you had, keep her close and talk about her when you are together.
“Perhaps, she is not far away.”
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