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The family of a teenager fatally struck by a council bus in a city centre have sobbed as graphic video of the collision has been played in court.
The bus driver accused of causing the death, Lindsay Francis Selby, faced Brisbane Magistrates Court today.
The 70-year-old pleaded not guilty to driving without due care and attention causing death after the March 2024 crash, which killed 18-year-old pedestrian Tia Cameron on a Brisbane street during peak hour.
Magistrate Aaron Simpson was shown CCTV footage of Selby turning the bus away from the train station at an intersection before swerving onto the footpath.
Video from a security camera inside the bus then showed Selby steering with one hand in the seconds before the crash.
Members of Cameron’s family were in court today and sobbed when the footage showed Selby drive into a group of pedestrians walking down the street.
The 18-year-old could be seen on the video through the doors and windows of the bus as the vehicle trapped multiple people up against a wall.
Prosecutor Susan Hedge told the court that Selby had steered off the road to avoid vehicles in front of him and subsequently hit Cameron.
“He was not paying sufficient attention or did not have his leg in position to use the brake pedal,” she said.
“Either one of those is sufficient to establish the charge.”
There was enough time and distance for Selby to have safely stopped the bus before the impact point, Hedge added.
Five witnesses are set to be called for today’s three-hour contested summary hearing.
There is no jury and the magistrate will determine the verdict.
Selby had given different versions of what happened, including that he had been unable to hit the brakes or his shoe was stuck on the accelerator, Hedge said.
Selby’s barrister Saul Holt said little was in dispute during the trial and his client admitted his bus fatally pinned Ms Cameron against the building.
The driver made a “tragic decision” to swerve to avoid hitting vehicles in front of him before the crash, he said.”He believed he was pressing the brake as he came around the corner,” Holt told the court.
“He didn’t blame any mechanical defect or medical issue … he swerved when he believed the brakes were not stopping the bus.”Â
Cameron had just left a nearby salon before the crash.
The teenager died at the scene, while four bus passengers needed treatment for minor injuries.
Selby was charged months later following an investigation.