Black cab driver, 56, dies of coronavirus after catching infection off cash from a fare as he ferried people around London during outbreak, family say
- Black cab driver Spencer Kurash died at his Chigwell home on Wednesday
- He had been ferrying passengers until he first noticed symptoms on March 18
- The 56-year-old then went into self-isolation but his condition deteriorated
- His daughter believes it is likely the virus was passed on to him by a passenger
- Coronavirus symptoms: what are they and should you see a doctor?
The daughter of a black cab driver who died of coronavirus believes he may have caught the virus from one of his fares.
Spencer Kurash, 56, died from the deadly illness at his Chigwell home after ferrying passengers around London.
His daughter, Natasha, 18, thinks it is likely Spencer caught covid-19 from a passenger handing over money.
Black cab driver Spencer Kurash, 56, is one of the latest coronavirus victims in the UK, and his daughter believes a passenger may have passed it on to him
The student told The Mirror: ‘It could have been an infected passenger who handed over money. It’s just devastating.’
Spencer had been a cabbie for 22 years and was a keen Tottenham fan and season ticket holder.
He first noticed symptoms after a shift on March 18 and immediately went into self-isolation.
On Wednesday, his symptoms quickly deteriorated and his wife of 19 years, Esther, tried to resuscitate him.
He first noticed symptoms after a shift on March 18 and immediately went into self-isolation
As Spencer’s condition failed to improve, the family called 999 and paramedics worked on him at his north-east London home for an hour.
But they were unable to save him. Tests are now being carried out to confirm the cabbie died from the virus.
It comes as Britain’s coronavirus death toll rocketed by 260 to 1,019 today as the UK suffered its worst 24 hours yet.
The number of confirmed cases of the killer bug has hit 17,089.