[article] Dublin Bus Crash. Several Dead.

mike65

This from www.rte.ie

Five people were killed in an accident involving a bus in the centre of Dublin this afternoon.

It is understood the three women and two men who died were standing in a bus queue at Wellington Quay, near the Clarence hotel.

A bus is said to have collided with another bus, mounted the pavement and crashed into them at about 1.25pm.

A number of people were trapped by the bus, and at least 12 people have been seriously injured.

Gardaí, fire brigade personnel and other emergency services are at the scene and the entire area around the south quays has been cordoned off.

Gardaí are diverting traffic away from the south quays and the garda helicopter is observing the area.

The Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern, is at the scene of the accident and is consulting with the emergency services.

Mike.

Amz

That's my bus stop
Was meant to get 13:15 66B home from town but got a lift instead...

There is no shelter there though so that's an inaccuracy.
We're all kinda waiting around for news of the victims.
There's a very morbid atmosphere around here.

Dark day for Dublin Bus and CIE

mike65

Originally posted by Amz
That's my bus stop

There is no shelter there though so that's an inaccuracy.
We're all kinda waiting around for news of the victims.
There's a very morbid atmosphere around here.

Dark day for Dublin Bus and CIE

I'll edit,

Was meant to get 13:15 66B home from town but got a lift instead...

Such is the difference between life and death...

Mike.

Amz

I swear to God!
I've been feeling sick all day since I found out, I would have had my little brother with me too.

Victor

There is a saying about railways, that a happy railway is a safe railway (less stress, fewer short cuts, etc.).

I don't think Dublin Bus people are happy with the whole privatisation thing.

BuffyBot

I think it was more to do with the terminus not being a particularily suitable location.

Atreides

Originally posted by BuffyBot
I think it was more to do with the terminus not being a particularily suitable location.

They stoped using that terminus about 9 years ago due to it being dangerous (bus nearly always has to mounth the path to park, but due to luas works or something they where forced to start using it again, CIE where never happy about that and there was allot of debate about it at the time. A friend of mine actually wrote a report on transport safety in dublin for college, one of the things he highlighted was the danger to people at this terminus if a bus lost control.

Amz, christ.

SantaHoe

That's just awful
Standing at the bus stop minding their own business... and out of nowhere...

smoke.me.a.kipper

jesus amz.:( :dunno:

Victor

Originally posted by Skanger
A friend of mine actually wrote a report on transport safety in dublin for college, one of the things he highlighted was the danger to people at this terminus if a bus lost control.

Could I get a copy of this?

Atreides

don't know if he would be willing to let me give you a copy, but he seemed to know allot about it, damn lecturer didn't think so though.

mike65

Originally posted by Victor
There is a saying about railways, that a happy railway is a safe railway (less stress, fewer short cuts, etc.).

I don't think Dublin Bus people are happy with the whole privatisation thing.

Steady on Victor, while that thought may be correct (we all operate better when content with our lot), it could just be the driver had a heart atack or stroke or his foot slipped from brake to accelerator.

Mike.

Amz

Just found out a mate was just after getting on the bus when it was hit, she's ok but in shock...



Eep!

Victor

Originally posted by Skanger
don't know if he would be willing to let me give you a copy, but he seemed to know allot about it, damn lecturer didn't think so though.

If you want, just mention I'm interested and leave it with him.

mike65

Side Note - http://www.stormfront.org/forum/showthread.php?t=117767

Nice big :rolleyes:

Mike.

Our man in Havana

Side Note - http://www.stormfront.org/forum/showthread.php?t=117767

Nice big

Mike.

Pretty distrubing site.:mad:

BuffyBot

Ah good old stormfront, nothing like a good tragedy so we can blame "foreigners" :rolleyes:

Tommy Vercetti

terrible tragedy

Victor

http://www.breakingnews.ie/2004/02/22/story135345.html

Bus crash: Firm 'warned of dangers weeks ago'
22/02/2004 - 9:13:21 am

Gardaí were today investigating a bus-stop accident that claimed five lives amid claims that the transport company was warned weeks ago of the dangers of the location of the terminus.

Three women and two men died yesterday when a double-decker bus apparently went out of control and mounted a pavement, ploughing into a queue of waiting passengers close to the Clarence Hotel, owned by the U2 rock group, on Dublin’s crowded River Liffeyside Wellington Quay.

Almost 20 others were injured in the incident, some seriously. Twelve of the injured were in a stable condition in hospital today. None of the dead has been named.

Overnight, the two buses involved in the crash were taken to Garda headquarters for a technical examination, and the Wellington Quay area was reopened to traffic.

According to reports today, a senior manager at CIÉ was warned two weeks ago that the bus terminus in question was “unsafe” and a difficult location for drivers to queue buses.

Taoiseach Bertie Ahern and Transport Minister Seamus Brennan both pledged full inquiries after visiting the scene of the crash yesterday.

Gardaí today confirmed that one of the victims was a non-Irish foreign national.

The 33-year-old man had an address in Lucan, Co Dublin. The second man to die was a 50-year-old from Leixlip, Co Dublin.

The three women victims were aged 69, 59 and 43. Two were from Dublin and the third from Maynooth, Co Kildare.

The names of the dead have still to be disclosed.

http://www.breakingnews.ie/2004/02/22/story135368.html

Local councillor had fears about bus stop
22/02/2004 - 12:32:39 pm

A local councillor who raised concerns about a Dublin city centre bus terminus that was yesterday the scene of a crash that claimed five lives, today spoke of fears expressed before the tragedy about personal safety.

Catherine Murphy, chairwoman of the traffic and transport committee of Leixlip Town Council, highlighted the “unsatisfactory” bus location on the River Liffeyside Wellington Quay with executives of the Dublin Bus Company less than two weeks ago.

One of the two buses involved in the accident, the number 66, which serves the Leixlip area, originally terminated in another part of central Dublin but was recently re-sited to make way for work on the city’s new Luas light transport system.

Ms Murphy said her council had been told that Dublin Bus was unhappy at the new location and planned to move it again later this year.

“The unsatisfactory nature of the terminus at Wellington Quay was one of the items on the agenda at our meeting with Dublin Bus,” she reported.

“It is confined to a much tighter space than in its previous location, and people had concerns about personal safety.

“At peak times, people had to push through, but I don’t really think you could have predicted the accident that has happened, and the awfulness of it.

“There is a need to pack waiting buses into a tight area on the quays.”

Dublin Bus said an investigation headed by senior management would be carried out. Garda inquiries are also continuing.

Taoiseach Bertie Ahern and Transport Minister Seamus Brennan both pledged full inquiries after visiting the scene of the crash yesterday.

The five who died have still to be named but the three women victims were aged 43, 59 and 69 years. Two of them were from Dublin, while the third was from Maynooth.

A 50-year-old man from Leixlip and a 33-year-old male foreign national with an address in Lucan were also killed.

A total of 12 people were still receiving hospital treatment today for their injuries.

The two buses involved in the crash were being examined at the Irish police headquarters in Dublin.

Victor

http://www.rte.ie/news/2004/0222/dublin.html

Family liason team to be provided
February 22, 2004

(17:19) Post mortems are being carried out on all five victims of yesterday's fatal bus accident this afternoon by the State Pathologist.

Dublin Bus has set up a family liason team to deal with the tragedy and has brought in bereavement counsellors to help victims affected by the accident.

An emergency board meeting of the company will be held tomorrow to discuss the tragedy, and the company is offering to meet the medical costs of victims.

Dublin Bus is also bringing in experts from Britain and Germany who are experienced in major transport accidents.

CIÉ was warned less than two weeks ago about the dangers of the bus terminus on Dublin's Wellington Quay where five people lost their lives yesterday.

The off-duty double decker bus mounted the footpath at Wellington Quay and struck another bus, a 66 which was stopping to pick up passengers for Maynooth.

The victims were three women aged 69, 59 and 43, two from Dublin and one from Maynooth; and two men, a 50-year-old from Leixlip and a 33-year-old foreign national with a Lucan address.

12 people were still in the Mater, St James's and St Vincent's Hospitals this morning. They are all reported to be stable.

Late last night the buses involved in the crash were removed to Garda Headquarters for technical examination, and the Wellington Quay area has now re-opened to traffic.

The Sunday Independent reports that less than two weeks ago a senior CIÉ manager was warned that the bus terminus in question was unsafe, and a very difficult location for for drivers to queue buses.

The comments were made during a meeting of Leixlip town commissioners. Lexlip is on the route of the 66 bus.

Local Councillor Catherine Murphy, who chaired the meeting, claimed that the CIÉ manager was very understanding of the safety concerns of the location of the terminus.

http://www.breakingnews.ie/2004/02/22/story135421.html

Dublin bus brings in crash experts
22/02/2004 - 5:26:26 pm

A number of people remain in hospitals across Dublin following yesterday's bus tragedy at Wellington Quay.

Doctors say the victims are stable and not critical.

Meanwhile, Gardaí are continuing to carry out technical examinations of the scene.

Dublin Bus is also bringing crash experts from Britain and Germany to assist with the investigation.

Victor

http://home.eircom.net/content/unison/national/2589854?view=Eircomnet

Shocked Taoiseach in tears CIE 'knew bus stop unsafe'
From:The Irish Independent
Sunday, 22nd February, 2004

A SENIOR manager with Dublin bus was told less than two weeks ago that the bus terminus at Wellington Quay, where five people were killed yesterday, was "unsafe" and a very difficult location for drivers to queue their buses.

The remarks were made during a meeting between dis-satisfied members of Leixlip Town Council, which is on the route of the 66 bus, and a senior manager with Dublin Bus.

Gardai and CIE are now investigating the possibility that the bus driver who ploughed into a Saturday afternoon crowd, killing five and injuring 17, may have had a heart attack or some other seizure.

Two buses were involved in the tragedy, the Number 66 to Maynooth and an out-of-service double-decker CIE bus travelling in the same direction. The dead were three women and two men, one a Ukrainian. All the victims have now been identified.

A distraught Taoiseach rushed to the scene and left in tears.

http://home.eircom.net/content/unison/national/2589862?view=Eircomnet

Five dead in worst tragedy in the history of Dublin Bus
From:The Irish Independent
Sunday, 22nd February, 2004
CHARLIE MALLON

THESE are the scenes of utter carnage which hit Dublin city centre yesterday claiming five lives.

Three women and two men died at the scene.

Eyewitness Fergal Doyle said: "I was walking past the hotel when I heard an awful bang. I looked back and saw a couple of people being dragged underneath the bus and a postbox being taken out as well. I'm sorry, I'm in a bit of shock after seeing the whole thing. It was very, very tragic."

The front area of the Clarence Hotel became a hospital ward for the afternoon as fire brigade ambulance crews tended to the injured in the lobby.

From inside the Clarence I saw a fire crew eventually free one middle-aged man from under the bus on the footpath.

They strapped him to a stretcher just outside the front door and attached a breathing apparatus as a wailing ambulance waited to bring him to hospital.

At the same time an elderly woman, with blood pouring from a cut on her right arm, was having it bandaged by a fireman in the doorway.

Inside in the foyer a middle-aged woman, obviously in a state of severe shock, sat on a chair crying her eyes out.

Another fireman tried to comfort her and asked if she was injured in any way.

The tears flowed and she did not answer as hotel staff brought her a glass of water.

Outside the front door the main rescue operation was going on as specialist equipment was used to free those pinned under the bus.

But for some it was obviously too late - while others had suffered very severe head and internal injuries.

There are conflicting accounts as to how the accident happened at Wellington Quay at 1.25pm outside the Clarence Hotel, which is owned by the U2 rock group.

Passengers were queueing to board a parked No 66 bus at Wellington Quay when a second out-of-service duble-decker mounted the pavement on the inside of the No 66 and drove into the queue. There was no indication of a collision either on the street or with the parked bus.

All the dead and most of the seriously injured were trapped under the bus on the pavement.

They are investigating the possibility that the driver of the out-of-service bus might have suffered a heart attack or some other kind of seizure.

Both drivers, one a non-national, were being treated in hospital last night. Both drivers were also interviewed by gardai. An incident centre has been established at Pearse Street Garda station, where a major accident investigation, led by Chief Supt Bill Donohue and Supt Tom Conway, is underway.

Three Dublin hospitals which dealt with the emergency said there were five dead, including a non-national believed to be a Ukrainian. Another of the dead is said to be the daughter of a senior garda. None of the names were released last night, but all had been identified.

The hospitals treated 16 injured people. Three were described as having major injuries but were stable and not critical; three were admitted with non-life-threatening injuries; ten had minor injuries but two went home last night.

The bus mounted the footpath directly outside the Clarence Hotel, several hundred yards from O'Connell Street Bridge.

Staff from the Clarence Hotel did all they could to assist the injured. General Manager Robert Vaneerde said last night: "It was a horrible, horrible accident. There were so many people involved. Our staff did what they could do to help, bringing blankets and giving people tea. Bono is abroad at the minute so I don't think he is aware of the accident, but when he hears his thoughts will be with the families of the dead and injured."

A Dublin Bus spokeswoman said: "This really is a very dark day for us." She went on to describe the tragedy as a "devastating accident, the worst in the history of Dublin Bus".

She said it appeared that an out-of-service bus painted in the new company yellow and blue livery - travelling out of the city, apparently at speed - mounted the pavement, smashing down litter bins and a post box before ploughing into the queue of people about to board a parked 66 bus. The 66 bus services Chapelizod, Palmerstown, Leixlip, Lucan and Maynooth.

Wellington Quay, one of the main arteries out of Dublin, remained closed to traffic last night as garda investigations continued. The accident happened on the one-way street that runs along the south bank of the River Liffey. The three-lane road is perpetually overloaded with a mix of cars, buses and even 18-wheeler trucks that use the road to reach western Dublin and the motorway links beyond to Cork, Limerick and Galway.

By day, the area around the accident is packed with tourists and shoppers using Dublin's most famous pedestrian crossing, the Ha'penny Bridge, which links the tourist quarter of Temple Bar with the northside's major pedestrian shopping area, Henry Street.

The bus that mounted the path was not carrying any passengers and the driver was returning to the depot at Conyngham Road depot when the tragedy happened at around 1.20pm.

"They hadn't a chance," one traumatised eyewitness told a fire brigade ambulance crew. "They were were knocked down like ninepins."

Dublin Bus was in contact with international accident investigators last night and is setting up a investigation committee under managing director Dr Allen Westwell. The company said they have also organised designated staff to deal directly with the families of the dead and injured and have arranged trauma and bereavement counselling.

The carnage happened on one of the busiest Saturdays of the year, in one of the busiest parts of the city.

Thousands of Welsh rugby fans were in town for the weekend, in addition to the throngs swarming through Temple Bar just round the corner from the scene of the crash.

Fleets of ambulances raced to the scene along with Garda patrols on every possible mode of transport. They arrived on horseback, bikes, motorbikes, and patrol cars while the Garda helicopter monitored the situation from the air.

Two hours after the horrific crash, the scene was visited by the Taoiseach Bertie Ahern and the Transport Minister Seamus Brennan.

Last night, the Taoiseach said: "It was with great distress that I learned about those who have lost their lives and the many others who have been injured, going about their daily lives in Dublin city centre today. I wish to extend my sincerest sympathies to their families at this time of terrible loss."

President Mary McAleese expressed her shock a the tragic accident. "My thoughts and prayers are with the families of those who have been so tragically killed in Dublin today and with those who have been injured in this dreadful event in the midst of our capital," she said.

Last night, the chairman of CIE, John Lynch, extended his sympathy to the relatives of those killed and injured in the tragedy. He said it had been a dark and tragic day for the company which had never experienced an accident of this magnitude.

Lord Mayor of Dublin, Royston Brady said: "I wish to extend my heartfelt sympathy to those who lost loved ones in this afternoon's bus crash in the city centre. I also hope that those who were injured will have a speedy recovery."

Two women were brought in dead to the Mater Hospital. Two people were admitted with non-life-threatenening injuries, and two attended with minor injuries which did not require admission.

Three people were brought in dead to St Vincent's Hospital. One injured person was admitted and was described as "stable, not critical" last night.

Three people with major injuries were brought in to St James's Hospital. Last night, they were all described as "stable, not critical". Eight people with minor injuries were admitted, two of whom were able to go home last night.

Victor

http://home.eircom.net/content/unison/national/2589864?view=Eircomnet

Survivors tell of panic that hit the city queues
Sunday, 22nd February, 2004
ALAN O'KEEFFE

AS relatives of those injured in the Dublin Bus carnage waited in a late-night vigil at St James's Hospital last night, a councillor revealed that the bus-stop where five people were killed had been the subject of several safety complaints in recent years.

One woman in the hospital said: "I heard one woman injured in the crash telling a doctor that she would have been killed if it wasn't for a man who pushed her out of the way of the bus at the last second."

But members of the public had complained about the location of the stop on the busy city quay since it was moved to Wellington Quay in 2001, said Kildare Labour Councillor Catherine Murphy last night.

She claimed that a Dublin Bus manager had agreed at a meeting with a Leixlip Town Council committee that the No 66 bus terminus on Wellington Quay was "unsatisfactory" and "unsafe and unclean".

Commuters from Leixlip and Lucan who use the stop had been complaining for years to the council's traffic and transport committee members about the location of the stop.

Cllr Murphy, chairperson of the committee, told the Sunday Independent that people were not only worried about being assaulted and robbed at the new location, but that they also were unhappy on road safety grounds because traffic was "too busy".

"They felt it was unsafe from a road safety and personal safety point of view," she said.

She added that the committee met the manager of the Conyngham Road bus depot that serves the 66 route less than two weeks ago and he was very understanding of the safety fears and complaints of the committee.

Dublin Bus had indicated to council members that the area along Wellington Quay was "very problematic" for bus drivers to get their buses in and out of the bus stops on the busy quay, she said.

She said that buses often ended up double parked and that the company indicated it was unhappy that were was insufficient room to manoeuvre buses at the location.

"A rethink needs to happen immediately about a new terminus," she said.

"The public have no confidence in the location. It is too busy and too many buses are being crammed into the space available," she added.

Meanwhile, relatives of victims of the bus tragedy sat quietly together at St James's Hospital waiting for news of loved ones undergoing emergency treatment for theirinjuries.

As doctors and nurses treated injured passengers, relatives of the victims held sombre vigils in the waiting areas of the A&E department.

Some of the relatives were too overcome to speak about their ordeal but others expressed relief that their loved ones had at least survived the carnage on the city quay.

A group of relatives of injured passenger Breda Colgan said they received a telephone call that she had been injured in a traffic accident but they did not know at first the extent of her injuries.

Ms Colgan, of Sandymount, Dublin, was standing near the bus-stop when the bus ploughed into the people.

Her sister, Nora Hendrick, said: "I was able to visit Breda and they told me she had a fractured foot. Breda told me that she thinks a pole from the bus stop fell on her foot.

"She told me that, when it happened, she just went cold."

Ms Hendrick said the whole family was very worried but were also relieved to find out she was going to be all right. "Thanks be to God she will be okay. We feel very sorry for other families who have lost loved ones," she said.

A niece of Ms Colgan said the family felt for all the victims. The niece, Mrs Ann McGovern, from Celbridge, said: "Our hearts go out to all the people who have lost members of their families.

"We're very glad that our aunt is going to be all right."

A patient who had been staying at the hospital for a number of days said there was "huge activity" when the injured people were being to be ferried into the hospital.

The bus carnage comes as road deaths this year were already up by a third, with 53 fatalities up to yesterday's accident, compared with 37 in the same period last year.

Accidents last week alone claimed the lives of 11 people including a 37-year-old man, who was killed when his motorbike hit a car yesterday morning in Duagh, Co Kerry. Deaths in January were up 50 per cent on the same month last year. This month there have been 23 fatalities.

mike65

I saw the Operations Manager of Dublin Bus rubbish the claim that the Wellington Quay stop was dangerous or that anyone had said it was.

Mike.

Victor

Originally posted by mike65
I saw the Operations Manager of Dublin Bus rubbish the claim that the Wellington Quay stop was dangerous or that anyone had said it was.

Apparently Leixlip Town Council have a different view and raised it with the manager of the Conyngham Road depot.

Amz

Yup Catherine Murphy had raised it at a recent meeting.
There have been many complaints by residents in the area that it is a dangerous spot, at peak times there is a crush on the footpath and people have to walk onto the road to pass by those waiting at the stops in the area.

Capt'n Midnight

Thought I heard on the news that having the buses there / width of the path was due to displacament caused by Luas works ?

Amz

Yes it is, our stop used to be on Middle Abbey Street and was moved either last year or the year before (Can't remember) but the path is so narrow that at busy times it's extremely dangerous. Plus as a bus pulls up you have the mad rush as people push and shove to get on/be first in the queue.

John R

Some DB drivers have also complained about the sighting of this terminus, both within the company and publicly.

uberwolf

my brother had been due to get that bus home, and was an hour and a half answering his phone afterwards (not a pleasant wait). The bus terminates outside my front door step. Horrfic sounding incident, and its proximity brings it home a little more.

Sounds like they had no chance. Wall on one side, bus on another and a second bus flying at them. Shouldn't have been possible.

ixoy

Originally posted by mike65
I saw the Operations Manager of Dublin Bus rubbish the claim that the Wellington Quay stop was dangerous or that anyone had said it was.

Mike.

Is the man visually impaired? Seriously? I've walked by there enough for it to clear there's overcrowding problems. He's presumably trying to cover his overpadded posterior with a statement like that.

fitz

My bus-stop too.
Scary.

Part of the problem is that the 66 and 67 busses share the same stop. They should have seperate stops.

Add to that the fact that the 25s stop is 20 feet away, and while there's a 25 every 10-15 minutes, if a 66 or 67 arrives, God forbid people have to wait to get a 25 to bring them to to Lucan, and there's a huge rush on the 66/67 bus-stop.
It's ludicrous.

I remember a couple of months ago thinking how it'd be far safer to have the buses terminate there, but load passengers at the next stop down the quays, on Wood Quay, where there's far more room.

Tragic, and thoughts and sympathies to all affected.

Genghis

A sad situation indeed.

I think there is a few things that need to change along the quays:

- Why can't termini be slightly outside the city centre; I notice some services (such as the 46A) use quiet Mountjoy square as a terminus. Routes could also be combined to make more cross-city services - for example a lot of 'X' routes now continue to UCD rather than terminating in the centre. Buses could still stop along the quays, but there would be no 'parking' of buses there.

- There should be a uniform bus lane along both sides of the quays - buses are challenged to move in / out as they progress up /down the quays. I know the problem here is that in places the quays aren't wide enough, but then the priority might need to be 'lose a traffic lane' than lose a bus lane. In this way the bus lane can also act as a buffer between the (usually) fast-moving / if-not-speeding traffic general traffic and the slower moving buses (though I appreciate this measure would not have helped the sad situation on Saturday)

- consider railing / barrier of some sort to protect volumes of passengers in close proximity to free moving traffic

uberwolf

consider

This ought not need to be considered in all fairness...

nothing against you genghis, I agree with you and we're all armchair experts now, but what is so difficult to install about barriers? why weren't they there already?

Genghis

Aesthetics is the consideration, uberwolf. And before anyone points out the obvious, of course peoples lives are more valuable than aesthetics. We must decide whether we want to ruin open areas like the quays, dame street, college green etc, or whether there are alternative measures (like some of the armchair ones I've mentioned, or others I haven't - less traffic, less problems, etc).

Victor

Originally posted by uberwolf
but what is so difficult to install about barriers? why weren't they there already?

Part of the problem with railings is the further narrow the available footpath space (because there will be space on the kerbside also) and would mean the bus doors would have to line up exactly with the gap in the railings. Although yes, bollards are a partial solution.

I took a look at the stop this morning. You have 2 traffic lanes and one bus lane. Just before these stops the bus lane narrows to about two metres and then ends, with nowhere for the bus to go. The actual stops are in a lay-by that has a number of bus stops and it appears the lay-by has be relatively recently split to allow set-down parking for the Clarence Hotel, by widening the footpath. A traffic sign was sheared clean off at ground level at this point.

John R

Originally posted by Genghis
A sad situation indeed.

I think there is a few things that need to change along the quays:

- Why can't termini be slightly outside the city centre; I notice some services (such as the 46A) use quiet Mountjoy square as a terminus. Routes could also be combined to make more cross-city services - for example a lot of 'X' routes now continue to UCD rather than terminating in the centre. Buses could still stop along the quays, but there would be no 'parking' of buses there.

The 46a no longer goes to Mountjoy Square because of constant attacks on buses and drivers at night.
The main reason for not having longer distance routes cross-city is timing, with Dublin traffic it is impossible to predict a city centre departure time for a bus which starts its journey 40+ minutes before.

Victor

Dublin Bus Accident Inquiry Dublin Bus

Inquiry to Investigate the Accident on Saturday 21st February 2004 at Wellington Quay, Dublin 2.

Dublin Bus Accident Inquiry Dublin Bus Inquiry to Investigate the Accident on Saturday 21st February 2004 at Wellington Quay, Dublin 2.

Following the tragic events, which occurred on Saturday 21st Feb., Dublin Bus has today formally launched its own Company Inquiry into the accident. This inquiry is fully independent to that of the Garda Siochana and aims to determine, using a defined remit and terms of reference, the cause of the incident. The needs and well-being of families of the deceased, the injured and all affected by this tragedy remain a priority for Dublin Bus and the company is committed to the responsible care of our customers.

Terms of Reference of Committee of inquiry to investigate the accident of Feb 21st 2004 at Wellington Quay.

The committee is tasked with:

· Investigating the circumstances of the accident of Feb 21st.
· Establishing the cause(s) and any contributory factors
· Making recommendations to prevent a re-occurrence in the future

The committee will report its preliminary findings and recommendations to the board of Dublin Bus within six weeks of its initial meeting.The costs of the investigation shall be borne by Dublin Bus. The committee has the power to authorize all reasonable expenditure in fulfilling its task.The information and communication during the investigation period shall be considered to be confidential.

Members of The Committee of Inquiry

Arnold O’Byrne - Chairman of Committee

Arnold was appointed to the board of Dublin Bus in 2001. Prior to this he was Chairman and Managing Director of Opel Ireland since 1985. Before joining Opel Ireland he was Chief Auditor of General Motors UK. He is Chairman of Dublin Bus Audit Review Group.

Dr Alan Westwell - Managing Director, Dublin Bus
Dr Westwell joined Dublin Bus in 1997 and has over 40 years experience in the public transport industry having served with nine transport companies. This experience was gained as Chief Executive of a number of the large public transport organisations in the major conurbations in the UK. At International level he has represented public transport and has held membership of a range of Commissions on Transport at European level. He was Chief Executive of Greater Manchester Transport and Director General of the Strathclyde Passenger Transport Executive.

Shane Doyle - Chief Engineer, Dublin Bus
Shane Doyle joined C.I.E. in 1977, was appointed Maintenance Engineer in Dublin City Services in 1982 and became Chief Engineer in Dublin Bus when the company was established in 1987.The Chief Engineer is accountable for the overall technical design, safety, quality and technical performance of the road passenger fleet and ensures that the fleet meets all statutory requirements and manages all maintenance activities.

Mick Matthews - Manager, Operations, Dublin Bus
Mick Matthews joined the company in 1963 and worked his way up through the ranks. He has held several key positions including that of conductor, driver, inspector, scheduler, industrial relations executive, Divisional Manager and Area Manager.The Operations Manager is responsible for all operational matters and oversees the day to day implementation of all Dublin Bus services.

Joe Hogan- Risk Manager, Dublin Bus
Joe Hogan joined C.I.E. in 1971 as a mechanic and was promoted through the ranks of Supervisor and Engineering Manager. He was appointed Risk Manager in 1999 and in his current role is responsible for managing all the health and safety activities of the company. Joe is a corporate member of the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health.

Hugo Van Wesemael - Transport Consultant
Hugo Van Wesemael is of professional international standing in the public transport industry. He is from Belgium and he Chaired the Bus Commission and the European Committee of the International Union of Public Transport for a period of years. Prior to his retirement last year he was the Director General of Flanders Transport.

Wolfgang Arnold - Engineering and Infrastructure Director, Stuttgart Transport Authority
Wolfgang Arnold is a Director of a Public Transport Company in the City of Stuttgart in Germany. His responsibility is for operations and infrastructure and is a member of the European General Commission on Transport and Urban Life. He has wide experience in public transport, planning and operations.

Simon J Brown MBE - Consultant
Simon Brown is a Chartered Engineer, a Member of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers and a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Transport.In 1988 he was appointed Group Engineer of London Buses Limited (LBL) and was a Non Executive Director of two of LBL’s subsidiary companies. His responsibilities during this time covered the specification, and maintenance of the fleet of 6,500 vehicles.Since leaving London Transport he has undertaken a variety of consultancies and project management activities.

Richard F. Lambourn MA Dphil MinstP MITAI - Principal Consultant, Investigations and Risk Management Group
Dr. Richard Lambourn is a Principal Consultant in the Investigations and Risk Management Group at the UK’s Transport Research Laboratory (TRL) specialising in road accident reconstruction matters. He is a Chartered Physicist, and is a member of the Institute of Physics, a member of the Institute of Traffic Accident Investigators and a member of the Society of Automotive Engineers.

Victor

A list of the deceased is provided at the end of this link.

http://www.rte.ie/news/2004/0223/dublinbus.html

CIÉ to publish bus accident probe findings

February 23, 2004

(18:26) The chairman of CIÉ has said the company intends to publish the findings of its inquiry into Saturday's accident, in which five people were killed on Wellington Quay, in six weeks' time.

John Lynch said an inquiry team had been formed and would meet on Friday.

He said the two drivers involved in the accident were receiving counselling but were not expected to be back driving in the short term.

He said the company knew what had happened but did not know why it had happened.

Meanwhile, Dublin Bus has opened a Book of Condolence at its headquarters on O'Connell Street in Dublin. The Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern, and the Minister for Transport, Seamus Brennan, were among the first to sign the book.

Speaking earlier on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, Dublin Bus Spokeswoman, Gráinne Mackin, said the number 66 bus was five feet from the kerb picking up passengers when the second bus ploughed into them.

She also said the accident was not caused by a medical problem with either of the drivers. Ms Mackin said the inquiry - which will involve international experts - would look at every possible cause.

Bee

Originally posted by Victor
I took a look at the stop this morning. You have 2 traffic lanes and one bus lane. Just before these stops the bus lane narrows to about two metres and then ends, with nowhere for the bus to go. The actual stops are in a lay-by that has a number of bus stops and it appears the lay-by has be relatively recently split to allow set-down parking for the Clarence Hotel, by widening the footpath. A traffic sign was sheared clean off at ground level at this point.

What insane DCC "Road Traffic Engineer" designed this accident waiting to happen? Another obvious to anyone but a DCC "Engineer" is the incredibly dangerous footpath extensions that are used here to make the lay-by for the buses. It forces the buses to swing in and out in a dangerous manner. I saw a cyclist getting hit along here by a bus rushing to get into the lay-by, she was thrown against one of the bollards. DCC has not learned anything by the previous deaths and accidents along the quays with footpath extensions onto the road. The entire quays need a re-design and the re-design needs to be removed totally from DCC.

- There should be a uniform bus lane along both sides of the quays - buses are challenged to move in / out as they progress up /down the quays.

And this is lethal to cyclists as they are challenged by the buses, !

I know the problem here is that in places the quays aren't wide enough, but then the priority might need to be 'lose a traffic lane' than lose a bus lane.

The Quays are a main traffic artery for Dublin Port/Dublin. Priority has to be given to keep the traffic flowing freely. Until that is sorted out it might be safest to lose any bus stops at any narrow area along the quays.

Bee

LFCFan

Hopefully the Port Tunnel will improve the situation on the Quays.

Victor

http://home.eircom.net/content/irelandcom/topstories/2604124?view=Eircomnet

Gardai hope security videos will give clues to bus crash
From:ireland.com
Tuesday, 24th February, 2004

Dublin Bus and the Garda are hoping video footage from security cameras on business premises, including the Clarence Hotel, may provide vital clues to the cause of last Saturday's fatal bus accident at Wellington Quay.

The search for video footage came as Dublin Bus yesterday announced the establishment of an inquiry into the tragedy in which five people were killed.

The inquiry, which will be chaired by Mr Arnold O'Byrne, chairman of the Dublin Bus audit review group, will report in six weeks' time. It will meet for the first time on Friday.

The committee will seek to establish the cause of the accident and any contributory factors and make recommendations to prevent a similar tragedy.

The crash is to be raised in the Dáil today, with the Labour Party seeking to table a special notice question on the issue.

The bodies of the five people killed in the accident are to be released to their families today.

The accident happened after an out-of-service bus, which was leaving Wellington Quay for Lucan, passed a stationary Maynooth bound bus on the inside, mounting a kerb and colliding with a group of passengers queuing to board the Maynooth bus.

Eight of the injured were still in hospital last night. Gardaí and Dublin Bus investigators are waiting to interview the drivers of both vehicles. They received trauma counselling yesterday and were said to be having difficulty recollecting clearly what had happened.

While there were eye-witness accounts of the accident, gardaí confirmed that they were hoping security camera footage might provide vital details of what happened in the seconds leading up to the collision.

Gardaí plan to study footage from the Clarence Hotel and other businesses. Dublin City Council said its cameras were not trained on that part of the quay at the time.

The board of Dublin Bus held an emergency meeting at its O'Connell Street headquarters yesterday, and the company opened a special book of condolences. It was signed by the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, and the Minister for Transport, Mr Brennan.

Mr Ahern said he met the chairman of CIÉ, Dr John Lynch, and some of the families and friends of the deceased and injured.

Responding to questions as to the cause of the accident, Mr Brennan said it was unlikely to be clear cut. It was always tempting to look for a simple solution "and I don't believe there is one here", he said. Both buses involved in the accident have been impounded by the gardaí for examination. Dublin Bus said it did not expect the vehicles to be found to be defective. Dr Lynch said last night that the drivers were "not in a position to talk yet".

He added that both drivers were qualified and experienced and the driver of the out-of-service bus had more than 20 years' service. This driver had also been successful at an examination as an advanced driver, Dr Lynch said.

Victor

Originally posted by Victor
I took a look at the stop this morning. You have 2 traffic lanes and one bus lane. Just before these stops the bus lane narrows to about two metres and then ends, with nowhere for the bus to go. The actual stops are in a lay-by that has a number of bus stops and it appears the lay-by has be relatively recently split to allow set-down parking for the Clarence Hotel, by widening the footpath. A traffic sign was sheared clean off at ground level at this point.

Diagram

Victor

http://www.breakingnews.ie/2004/02/27/story136079.html

Bus crash committee meets today
27/02/2004 - 7:19:44 am

The committee established by Dublin Bus to investigate last Saturday’s horrific accident in the capital is due to hold its first meeting today.

The committee, chaired by Arnold O’Byrne of Opel Ireland, is due to report to the company in six weeks’ time.

It has been asked to establish the cause of accident and any factors that may have contributed to it.

It will also make recommendations aimed at preventing any similar accidents from taking place in the future.

Five people died when an out-of-service Dublin Bus mounted the footpath on Wellington Quay last Saturday afternoon and ploughed into a group of people waiting to board the number 66 to Maynooth.

http://home.eircom.net/content/irelandcom/topstories/2631786?view=Eircomnet

Dublin Bus inquiry into fatal incident opens
From:ireland.com
Friday, 27th February, 2004

Dublin Bus will today begin its official inquiry into last Saturday's fatal accident at Wellington Quay in which five people died.

The first phase of the investigation will be in private, but a further public inquiry has not been ruled out.

A spokeswoman said last night the six-week inquiry would be very concentrated and intense and this was partly why four international experts had been engaged to move things along.

The investigation team last night finished interviewing the two bus-drivers involved in the fatal crash.

The company was given medical sanction to begin questioning the drivers on Wednesday.

Their statements and accounts will be fed into the inquiry, the Dublin Bus spokeswoman said.

The terms of reference of the inquiry, which Dublin Bus stresses is completely separate from the Garda investigation, are to investigate the circumstances of the accident and to establish the cause and any contributory factors of the crash.

The structure of the investigation was currently "quite loose", the spokeswoman said.

"The committee will initially need to meet to decide the topics and modules, but there will be technical and human components and will involve the reports of eyewitnesses."

A number of working groups will support the main committee, providing such information as technical studies and "peer review" reports.

Mr Arnold O'Byrne, a Dublin Bus board member, will act as chairman of the inquiry.

Mr O'Byrne is the current chairman of the Dublin Bus audit review group. He was previously chairman and managing director of Opel Ireland.

The investigating committee will be made up of eight other members including three Dublin Bus officials and four international experts.

Dr Alan Westwell, managing director of Dublin Bus, joined the company in 1997 and has more than 40 years experience in the public transport industry.

He has been chief executive of a number of large public transport organisations in major UK conurbations.

Mr Shane Doyle, chief engineer with the company, joined CIÉ in 1977 and became chief engineer in Dublin Bus when the company was established in 1987.

Mr Mick Matthews, the operations manager of Dublin Bus, has worked with the company as a conductor, driver, inspector, scheduler, industrial relations executive, divisional manager and area manager.

The final Dublin Bus official on the team is Mr Joe Hogan, the company's risk manager.

He joined CIÉ in 1971 as a mechanic and was promoted through the ranks of supervisor and engineering manager. Mr Hogan was appointed risk manager in 1999.

The international experts include Mr Wolfgang Arnold, engineering and infrastructure director with the Stuttgart Transport Authority, Germany; Mr Hugo van Wesemael, former director general of Lijn Transport, Flanders, Belgium; Dr Richard Lambourn, lead investigator with the UK Transport Research Laboratory; and Mr Simon J. Brown, former group engineer with London Buses Ltd.

Victor

http://www.rte.ie/news/2004/0228/dublin.html

Reconstruction of Dublin bus crash
February 28, 2004

(17:02) Gardaí will tomorrow reconstruct the events of last Saturday's bus crash on Dublin's Wellington Quay in which five people were killed.

The reconstruction will take place from 6am and the area will be closed to traffic for a number of hours.

Dublin Bus will supply three buses identical to those at the stop last week, but it is understood they will be driven by gardaí.

Detectives trying to establish how a bus drove into a bus queue, will be joined by the international team of investigators brought in by Dublin Bus as part of the company's own inquiry.

Superintendent Tom Conway, who is leading the investigation, said it is hoped more information can be gained about the specifics of the accident.

It comes as the last victim Kathleen Gilton, 69, from Maynooth, was buried today.

As a mark of respect to those who died, all buses in Dublin are today displaying black ribbons on their wing mirrors.

Victor

http://home.eircom.net/content/irelandcom/topstories/2649534?view=Eircomnet

Bus accident report expected within a month
From:ireland.com
Monday, 1st March, 2004

Shortly after 7 a.m. yesterday, three Dublin buses, almost identical to those involved in last week's crash, approached the Clarence Hotel on Wellington Quay.

Dawn had just broken over Dublin, and few people braved the cold to catch a glimpse of the Garda reconstruction.

Articulated lorries rumbled past and the odd taxi-driver slowed to take a look before the quays were sealed off. Some of Dublin City Council's cleaning staff swept the area before the reconstruction began.

Three people from Co Clare claimed to have arrived especially for the reconstruction.

Members of the Garda transport investigation team arrived, assisted by other members of the force and CIÉ engineers.

The driver of one of the buses, a uniformed Garda who wished to remain anonymous, said a number of theories were to be examined.

Yesterday's exercise was an attempt to establish the speed at which the bus was travelling when it went out of control and crashed into the stationary 66 bus, killing five people and injuring 20.

Just over a week previously, the scene had been one of chaos and horror but yesterday's was a clinical exercise attempting to shed some light on the tragedy.

The road had already been marked with yellow paint to indicate the position of the buses following the crash.

Two empty buses were manoeuvred and placed exactly as they were on the day of the incident and photographed from every stage.

Two cranes were used to allow pictures to be taken from a height.

All the information gathered yesterday will form part of the investigation file. A report is expected within a month.

So far, gardaí have interviewed more than 50 people and taken camera footage from the Clarence to help them with their investigation.

Supt Tom Conway said yesterday's reconstruction was an attempt to put together what exactly happened "to get a better picture" of the accident.

The operation was watched by independent observers from the Dublin Bus investigation team.

Reconstructions like yesterday's occurred regularly, according to gardaí, but they are rarely as high profile.

The operation started within sight of the bouquets of flowers which have been left in sympathy to the families of those who lost their lives.

It was finished at about 11.15 a.m.

The quays were reopened and the buses rolled back on to the busy roadway.

One sympathy card at the scene reads: "If only we had the words that might offer a little comfort, ease a fraction of the pain ... we could let you know that you're not alone during this tragic time. But we don't because the words simply don't exist."

Victor

http://home.eircom.net/content/irelandcom/breaking/2672391?view=Eircomnet

Reports on crash 'speculation' - Dublin Bus
From:ireland.com
Thursday, 4th March, 2004

Dublin Bus has described reports this morning on the cause of the Wellington Quay crash as "pure speculation".

The company's spokeswoman, Ms Grainne Macken, refused to comment on the claims the driver at the centre of the investigation accidentally got his foot stuck on the accelerator

She said the company would say tomorrow when its investigating team's findings would be published. Ms Macken described media reports published prior to the publication of the Dublin Bus inquiry as "speculation or hearsay."

The Star newspaper reported this morning that it had gained access to the Garda investigation of the crash, which killed five people.

Dublin Bus and the Garda have begun investigations into the incident, but the newspaper claims detectives are satisfied they know what happened.

The report said officers had established that the engine of the out-of-service bus was running, with its automatic transmission in drive gear, when the first driver handed the vehicle over to another colleague who was starting a new shift.

The newspaper claims investigators believe the second driver then lost control of the vehicle after he sat into the cab moments later and released the handbrake.