Gardaí seek to interview traumatised bus driver

GARDAÍ were last night waiting to interview the traumatised driver of a Dublin Bus that ploughed into a crowded bus queue, killing five people and injuring 16.

The driver, who has been with the company for a considerable number of years, spent the weekend receiving medical treatment and counselling in hospital following Saturday afternoon's tragedy.

The gardaí and Dublin Bus have launched separate inquiries into how the driver apparently lost control of the vehicle and mounted the pavement, at the bus stop on Wellington Quay on the south side of the River Liffey.

Both investigations will look at what happened during those key few seconds between the driver pulling away from the kerb and suddenly swerving on to the pavement, driving through the crowd before coming to a stop at an angle in front of the parked 66 bus to Maynooth.

The driver had just taken over from another driver and had been told to drive the out-of-service bus to Lucan and then pick up passengers on his way back to the city.

The tragedy happened just after 1.15pm on Saturday, when the city was packed with weekend shoppers, tourists and Welsh rugby fans. Dozens of people were queuing at the stop or passing by when the bus crashed on to the pavement, crushing a number of people under the wheels.

Eyewitnesses described seeing bodies lying beneath the bus; others told of a stunned silence in the immediate aftermath before the gardaí, fire crews and ambulances arrived.

Post mortems were carried out on the five deceased yesterday. The five victims were named last night as Margaret Trainor, aged 59, of Coolock in Dublin; Teresa Kaetley, 43, from Sillogue, Ballymun; Kathleen Gilton, aged 69, from Maynooth; Vasyl Tyminskay, aged 33, a father of one from Lucan but originally from Ukraine; and Kevin Garry, aged 50, from Leixlip, who 15 years ago survived a serious car crash. The fifth victim was a 43-year-old woman from Dublin. Eight people, seven women and the driver of the bus, remained in hospital yesterday. The women are suffering from a variety of injuries, but are all in a stable condition.

Dublin Bus is to hold an emergency board meeting today to discuss the tragedy. The company has invited in accident investigators from Germany, Britain and Sweden to help its own team.

The injured, bereaved and eyewitnesses have been offered counselling by the company, which has also promised to pay all medical bills.

While Dublin Bus has denied claims by a Leixlip representative that any concerns were raised over safety at the bus stop, Fine Gael said its members will quiz Transport Minister Seamus Brennan on the issue this week in the Dáil. Transport spokesman Denis Naughten said he will ask the minister to provide details of the investigation and to pass on any information about the cause of the accident.

Both buses were being held at Garda HQ. Both the gardaí and Dublin Bus will investigate whether there may have been a mechanical problem with the 00-registered bus.