Quay crash bus driver for court

The driver of the bus which mounted a crowded pavement in Dublin in February, killing five people, is due in court this morning.

The Dublin Bus driver will be charged at Dublin District Court with dangerous driving causing death.

The driver is a Dubliner in his 40s who had 20 years' experience driving buses in the city at the time of the accident. The fatal accident, which happened when a bus mounted the pavement on Wellington Quay and crashed into a group of people who had just begun boarding a second bus, has been the subject of separate investigations carried out by the Garda and Dublin Bus in the seven months since it took place.

Mechanical failure was ruled out in the early stages of those investigations. Gardaí also confirmed soon after the tragedy that the driver had not suffered a heart attack, which was suggested at the time.

The out of service bus apparently went out of control and onto the footpath at Wellington Quay at about 1.30 p.m. on Saturday, February 21st.

It passed a number 66 bus on the inside and struck a group of pedestrians boarding the bus to travel to Lucan.

The pavement was crowded at the time with commuters waiting for buses which leave from the south quays close to the Clarence Hotel.

As well as the five fatalities nine people were seriously injured. Dublin Bus immediately enlisted the services of internationally renowned crash investigators to assist in its investigation.

The resulting report included a number of recommendations which, among others, advised Dublin Bus to instruct drivers to turn off their engines after completing their duties and when handing over vehicles.

The report also said the possibility of changing the design of foot pedals on buses to avoid any unintended acceleration due to pressing the accelerator pedal instead of the brake pedal should be investigated. It also advised the company to start a public awareness campaign to warn people about the dangers of getting on and off buses.

The dead were: Mr Vasul Tyminskyy, a father of one from the Ukraine; Ms Margaret Traynor, a 59-year-old mother of four; Ms Teresa Keatley, a 43-year-old mother of three from Ballymun; Ms Kathleen Gilton, a 69-year-old mother of four; and Mr Kevin Garry, a 43-year-old single man from Leixlip.