00:00Jack was amazing. From the moment he was born, he just gave us so much joy.
00:05He was so lovely. He was kind, he was gentle.
00:1019-year-old Jack Bruce was due to start university in just a few days
00:14and had been biking to pick up his new laptop when he was struck by a bin lorry in Swanley
00:19in 2021.
00:21In spite of wearing a crash helmet and the proper gear, Jack lost his life at the roadside.
00:27It's on my mind when I wake up in the morning, it's on my mind during the day,
00:32it's on my mind when I go to bed and it is as awful as anyone could imagine losing a
00:38child.
00:39But being told that Jack's death was completely avoidable adds more to the torture that we're
00:47going through right now. The bin lorries are on our streets and down our local small roads
00:57every day all throughout the day. Jack died at the hands of someone that was
01:06given the responsibility to position his vehicle or look around his vehicle to make sure it was safe
01:16and it wasn't. The coroner branded the collision a tragic accident with the family later reaching a
01:23no liability settlement with Sevenoaks District Council and now four and a half years on they're
01:29calling for stricter safety regulations around bin lorries including how mirrors are positioned and
01:34driver training. It was incredibly important for them to not only understand how his death had come
01:41about and why it had come about but to also feel that the authorities had taken a fair and balanced
01:50view
01:51of what had happened. A spokesperson for Sevenoaks District Council said everyone at the council
01:57is still saddened by the impact of this tragic accident. While the police investigation found
02:02that the council had not been at fault and the coroner concluded that this was an accident
02:05and made no recommendations we continue to prioritise public safety and have installed safety cameras on
02:11every vehicle and are continuing to train our drivers. If there's more that we can do we would
02:17welcome the opportunity to be at the forefront of safety on our roads. The family say they want to
02:22ensure councils follow stricter public safety guidance and hope to one day sit down with the council to
02:28stop this happening again. Chloe Brewster for KMTV in Wilmington
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