Woman who suffered brain haemorrhage makes 'common sense' plea to bus drivers

A woman who suffered life-changing brain damage is asking for greater care from bus drivers who drive off before she has sat down.

Gemma Fawcett, a 43-year-old living in York, suffered a brain haemorrhage in 2018. It affected her so much that she had to leave her job as an events manager.

To this day, she struggles with basic things like balance. "It's so bad that if a butterfly was to fall into me I would wobble or fall," she told Yorkshire Live.

That makes travelling by bus a bigger challenge than for the average person - and that's the main way Gemma has of getting to her Fine Art course.

On ten separate occasions, she said has felt unsafe while using First Bus services to get to the York St John University campus. She has claimed that she has almost fallen over and hit her head on the floor when bus drivers quickly pull away from the curb, without looking back to see if she or any other passengers have sat down.

Fearful that something might happen one day, she reported all the incidents that she experienced. Although she does not disclose her disability to the drivers or have a walking stick, she feels it should be 'common sense' to wait and check if everyone is safely sat down.

"I just get on the bus as normal and try to head to my seat, but I am left feeling rushed when they suddenly drive off," Gemma said.

"Even though I have a hidden disability, I do not tell drivers as they should wait for all passengers to be seated.

"The brain haemorrhage I had irreversibly damaged my brain to the extent that my balance is so bad that if a butterfly was to fly into me I would wobble/fall, so naturally I am fearful of hitting my head.

"There have been many occasions where I have nearly hit my head which could have been fatal.