BREAKING NEWS:Bus to undergo engineering investigation after woman killed in Brisbane city crash
Bus mounted a kerb and pinned the 18-year-old against wall near one of the city’s busiest intersections during peak hour
Authorities have pledged to find answers after an 18-year-old woman died when she was pinned between a bus and a building in Brisbane’s city centre on Friday evening.
And authorities have said the bus involved in the crash underwent routine testing last month, and will now undergo an engineering investigation to ensure there were no mechanical failures.
Emergency services were called following reports of a serious crash on Edward Street involving a bus hitting a pedestrian about 5pm on Friday.
The bus had mounted the kerb and pinned the woman against a wall near one of the city’s busiest intersections during peak hour.
The woman suffered life-threatening injuries and died at the scene.
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Paramedics assessed nine passengers on the bus and transported five, including the driver, to hospital with minor injuries.
Brisbane lord mayor, Adrian Schrinner, said the forensic crash unit would undertake a thorough investigation, including scouring footage from the bus and traffic cameras.
“I want to assure the people of Brisbane we will find answers,” he told reporters in Brisbane on Saturday.
“I want the people of Brisbane to know, and I want particularly the family of this young woman to know, that Brisbane is a city that is with you now.”
The bus driver would not operate any council buses while the crash was under investigation, Schrinner said.
He urged the public not to speculate on the reasons for the crash.
“That will be determined – we will have those answers,” he said.
Council’s Transport for Brisbane divisional manager, Samantha Abeydeera, said the bus’s brakes were tested in February.
She said she believed council’s fleet was “very safe”.
“There was a routine 10,000 kilometre testing of the bus last month and now the vehicle will actually go through engineering investigation to ensure there were no mechanical failures,” she said.
“We are convinced that we have a very safe fleet, very safe operators … we absolutely take the duty to the city very seriously.”
Abeydeera said the bus driver had a safe driving history.
“The bus driver has been operating with us for decades,” she said.
“[They are] a very experienced driver, with a strong performance record.”
People working in the area described their shock as some left flowers at the scene.
“I walk the street almost every day … I took the bus this morning and definitely sat there and pondered over things,” Minh Phan, the owner of a nearby beauty salon, told ABC News.
“I feel very sorry for the family.”
Schrinner described the incident as a truly devastating and heartbreaking scenario.
“It was a Friday night – people thinking about what they were doing for the weekend, finishing up work … this is not something that anyone would anticipate happening,” he said.
“Walking on a busy street and seeing this tragedy, it touches us all, because it could have been anybody.”
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