A Brisbane bus driver charged over a fatal crash in the CBD last year thought he was pressing the brakes before he mounted a footpath and killed a pedestrian, a court has heard.
On Tuesday, Lindsay Francis Selby pleaded not guilty to one count of careless driving causing the death of 18-year-old Tia Cameron.
The court heard the 70-year-old — who is facing a one-day summary trial in the Brisbane Magistrates Court — was an experienced driver, had been on a split shift, and was driving the bus through the city during peak hour on the afternoon of March 8, 2024.
During opening addresses, the court heard the bus had been travelling about 15 kilometres an hour when it turned left from Ann Street onto Edward Street. As it headed downhill, the speed increased to about 23 kilometres.
The court heard it is not in dispute that after turning the corner, Mr Selby turned the steering wheel to the left to avoid hitting banking traffic, causing the bus to swerve toward the footpath before it mounted the curb.
The court heard the bus crashed into the wall of a building and Tia Cameron, causing her “catastrophic injuries”. (Supplied: Pool footage)
The court heard the bus crashed into the wall of a building and Ms Cameron, causing her “catastrophic injuries” which were fatal.
Police prosecutor Susan Hedge told the court the brakes on the bus were never engaged, and because of this, it will be alleged Mr Selby was driving “without due care and attention”.
“The prosecution case is the defendant had ample opportunity to use the brakes and therefore stop the bus,” she said.
“The pedals were not obstructed by anything.”
First responders on the scene of the crash in March 2024. (Supplied)
Ms Hedge told the court that in order to find Mr Selby guilty, it would need to be established he had not been paying sufficient attention to other cars, he did not have his foot in a position to use the brake, or he had accelerated — or a combination of all three.
“Either one of those … is sufficient to establish the charge,” she said.
‘He was clearly keeping a look out’Â
Mr Selby’s lawyer Saul Holt KC told the court it was not in dispute there was “time and ability” for Mr Selby to apply the brakes.
He told the court the case would come down to what Mr Selby thought he was doing with his foot at the time.
“He believed he was pressing the brake as it came around the corner,” he said.
“What is critical here, is that belief that he was pressing the brake when he was in fact pressing something else.”
Lindsay Francis Selby, pictured during an earlier court date. (ABC News)
Mr Holt told the court there could be no finding Mr Selby had his foot in the wrong position, arguing it could only be “speculative”.
He also rejected the allegation he was not paying attention, as there was footage showing him looking ahead.
“He was clearly keeping a look out,” he said.
Several videos have been played to the court showing multiple angles of the crash, including from the CCTV inside the bus.
The family and friends of Tia Cameron leaving the Brisbane Magistrates Court during an earlier court date. (AAP: Darren England)
When footage of the moment Ms Cameron was hit was played, several of Ms Cameron’s family members in attendance became upset.
Five witnesses are expected to give evidence, including forensic crash investigators.
‘I’m trying to stop it and it’s not stopping’
Body-worn camera vision of Mr Selby in hospital talking to a senior constable was played to the court.
In the video, he said “it all went so quick”.
Mr Selby explained to the officer he thought he was applying the brakes when he turned the corner and theorised his foot may have been on the padding around the steering column instead.
“I’m trying to stop it and it’s not stopping, so I just moved the wheel across to the left and steered it into the building,” he said.
“Unfortunately, there was somebody in the way that I didn’t see.”
Tia Cameron’s family and friends have worn t-shirts with her picture printed on them. (AAP: Darren England)
He said he made the manoeuvre so he did not “slam into four lanes of traffic”.
“I wasn’t going to crash into all those cars, I veered back across the road.”
An earlier police interview, recorded on body-worn camera in the back of an ambulance, was also played to the court.
Senior Constable Timothy Salau, who conducted the interview, told the court it was difficult to hear what Mr Selby said, as the audio was not clear due to loud background noise.
When asked what he recalled was said, he told the court Mr Selby said “words to the effect of, in order to avoid a collision, he had swerved”.
He also said he believed Mr Selby said “his foot had missed the brake when he tried to apply it”.