A 'devoted mother' tragically lost her life after being pulled under the wheels of a city bus she was trying to catch in Nottingham city centre. Helaleh Cheraghmakani, affectionately known as Hailey, sustained multiple fatal injuries when she was hit by a bus on October 22 last year.

An inquest into her death, held at Nottingham Coroners' Court on Monday, April 7, heard that Hailey, 34, was rushing to board the Navy Line 49 bus when the tragic incident occurred at the crossroads of George Street and Lower Parliament Street.

Hailey, along with her husband, Ramin Dehbandi, and their daughter, Liana, had relocated to the UK in September 2023 in pursuit of a brighter future. The family lived on George Street and Hailey had recently got a job at Boots, based at the company's headquarters in Beeston, just days before the accident.

A colleague had informed Hailey the night before the incident that her start date had been moved forward to October 22 from the previously communicated October 24.a

On the morning of the accident, Ramin noticed an email from Boots confirming Hailey's start time as 6am on October 22. Before leaving for work, Hailey visited her daughter's room to assure her she would be back for lunch, reports Nottinghamshire Live.

Despite realising she was running late, Hailey was "determined to get to work". She hurried to catch the 6am bus on George Street, a service that ran every 15 minutes at that hour.

The court heard that bus driver Anthony Watson departed the stop 45 seconds before schedule, even though company policy allows buses to leave up to one minute early or five minutes late. In his statement presented in court, Mr Watson recounted a startling moment when he just heard an unexpected bang on the nearside of the vehicle.

He stated: "I don't know what the bang was. It was just a noise on the side of the bus. I don't know where it came from. I didn't see anything. It startled me."

During the inquest, DC Liah Lane from Nottinghamshire Police detailed how Hailey tragically collided with the passenger doors as she stood in the road and the bus turned onto Lower Parliament Street. It's believed she was subsequently clipped by the bus's nearside wheel and dragged under it by the rear wheel.

The inquiry was informed that Watson was driving between 8-10mph while making the turn without signalling left, though Coroner Nathanael Hartley clarified this did not play a part in the fatal incident.

Mr Watson’s harrowing account continued with: "As I looked in my mirror, I saw the nearside wheels go over a person's torso. I don't know where she came from. As soon as I saw the wheels over her, I applied the brakes, I stopped, got off the bus and ran towards the pedestrian. I didn't get too close to her.

"I realised that I needed to get help. I then ran straight back to the bus as I didn't know what was happening. I was in complete shock. There was nothing that I could have done as I hadn't seen her prior to the collision.

"This was a tragic accident which was out of my control. I couldn't have done anything differently. I didn't see her until the point of collision. I didn't know that she was running for my bus. Quite often we get members of the public banging on the windows asking us to stop the bus. We can't do it. It's against the law."

The inquest heard that Mr Watson had been behind the wheel for 14 years and had been driving the 49 route for 11 years before the tragic incident. Coroner Hartley concluded that the driver's response to Hailey's unexpected appearance at the side of the bus was "quick and certainly what the police considered to be reasonable".

Hailey would also "not have been obvious" to Mr Watson. In his testimony, he said: "I think about the collision daily. I feel for the deceased lady and her family. There isn't an hour that goes by where I don't think about her. What upsets me the most is that she's left a child behind. The deceased is the same age as one of my daughters. It upsets me that she'll never see her child again. I'd like to offer my condolences to her family."

The court heard the poignant words of Ramin, a father who tragically lost his spouse in Iran, where it is customary for buses to halt when hand-signalled. Coroner Hartley concluded the incident to be a road traffic accident.

In a heart-wrenching statement delivered during the hearing, Ramin recalled his late wife Hailey's impact: "With her kindness and brilliant smile, Hailey brought joy and warmth into our lives. She was a wonderful mother, a determined and loving partner, and the source of our home's calm and happiness. She always filled our days with excitement and love."

Distraught after the inquiry, he spoke of his unbearable loss: "My heart and my life were broken the moment we lost Helaleh and our world has been destroyed. She was a wonderful wife and mother and I loved her with all my heart. To make the incredibly painful situation even worse our daughter Liana blames me for her mummy not being there, that I am stopping her from coming back to her and calls me 'daddy monster'."

In an emotional account, he shared how the tragedy continues to affect their daughter: "She asked me the other day if I would let mummy pick her up one day from nursery and I could not sleep from the sorrow. The pain is too much for me to bear, I feel like my life is over, but I must remain strong for Liana to give her the life Helaleh wanted for her."

Daniel Denton, a specialist personal injury partner at Hodge Jones and Allen, representing the victim's husband Ramin, stated: "This is such an unimaginably tragic case that has devastated the lives of my client and his daughter. Their loving wife and mother were snatched away from them and we need answers as to how this could have been allowed to happen. We will continue our fight for answers and for justice for Helaleh through the civil courts."

A spokesperson from NCT responded with heartfelt words: "Our thoughts remain with everyone involved and affected, including our driver who we continue to support following the collision. We send our deepest sympathies to Helaleh's family and friends."

To aid the family of Ms Cheraghmakani, a GoFundMe page was set up, successfully rallying support and raising a significant sum of £14,026.