A HORRIFIC road accident which killed a woman has left her foster daughter so traumatised she had to be sectioned.

Margaret Antwi-Nimoh was hit by a bus when she was standing on Dunkery Road, Mottingham, and dragged under the vehicle for about 20 metres leaving her with devastating injuries to her chest and stomach.

The inquest at South London South London Coroner’s Court on May 9 revealed a mystery remains about what the woman was attempting to do at the time of the accident.

Her family originally thought she had walked into the road at 10.30am on September 11 last year to open the car passenger door to let her 16-year-old foster daughter out but an eyewitness report and CCTV footage suggested she was crossing the road to catch a bus on the other side.

The 16-year-old was sitting in the passenger seat of the Nissan when Mrs  Antwi-Nimoh got out of the car, walked into the road from among the parked vehicles when she got hit by a 124 bus which was coming from her right.

The 64-year-old was taken by air ambulance to King’s College Hospital but died around an hour later with an autopsy showing she died of severe crush injuries to her chest and stomach.

Det Serg Jo Densham said: “The foster child was so traumatised by the incident she was taken to hospital and sectioned later that day under the Mental Health Act.

“She was later transferred to Bethlem Hospital.

“I spoke to her doctors and it was decided it was unwise to question her about the accident because it would affect her mental wellbeing, such was her trauma.

“Her doctors say she has not referred to the incident at all.”

Mrs  Antwi-Nimoh, originally from Ghana, was living in Upper Norwood in Croydon at the time and had been a foster mother for eight years.

Eyewitness Emma Williams was sitting on the left-hand side of the bus on the way to an interview when she saw the accident.

She said: “It seemed like she just came from nowhere.

“It all happened so fast – it was horrific.

“She had been looking the other way as though she was going to cross the road to get the bus which was parked at the stop across the road.

“We could feel the bus went over her – the front set of wheels went up and down, then the other pair.

“Other passengers were crying so I went over to comfort them. The bus driver looked so pale.”

PC Peter Osborne from Catford Traffic Operational Command Unit said: “The bus only went over her feet.

“Any other injuries would have been from coming into contact with the metal work.”

The bus which hit Mrs  Antwi-Nimoh was travelling at 16 miles per hour in a 20 mile zone.

Driver Tony Burslem, who had qualified 18 months previously, said: “It was the last bus run of the day for me and as I was going past the parked cars.

“In the corner of my eye I saw a movement in front of me and I tried to apply the brake.”

Catford Traffic Operational Command Unit collision investigator Mark Crouch said: “CCTV Images show the driver responded in 0.8 seconds which is an unusually fast response time for this type of incident.

“There was no way it could have been avoided.”

Coroner Dr Roy Palmer recorded a verdict of accidental death.