When Deafness Kills

Well, these things do happen. Sadly tho. There was another deafness-related death today when a person with a hearing loss did not hear the sound of his impending doom from an approaching bus. Tragic. Also, remember earlier this year when we had the awful death of Miss Deaf Texas who was killed by a train, unable to hear the train horn's warning blast up to the last possible moment? Well, this time it was a moving bus when a cyclist peddled right into the front of the bus. The cyclist usually wears his hearing aid but this time he didn't.

A cyclist who died after pulling out in front of a tourist bus on SH1 between Taupiri and Ngaruawahia did not hear the bus approach, a coroner has found.

The Voyager Coachlines bus that killed 65-year-old Hamilton photographer Peter Goldfinch had deficient brakes, but did not cause the September 26 crash.

Coroner Bob McDermott said at an inquest at Huntly District Court on Thursday that Mr Goldfinch had moved into the southbound lane without checking for approaching traffic.

Inattentivity, carelessness and perhaps not listening resulted in this tragedy. But I can't fault them and besides, hearing people have been killed in those same instances. Even with a hearing aid you can still get hit by a bus. Inattentiveness can kill.