A Brisbane bus driver has been charged with manslaughter after a pedestrian was fatally struck at a city intersection.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
Police allege Carl James Van Der Wiel, 59, was driving the bus carrying 10 passengers when the pedestrian aged in his 40s was hit at South Brisbane on June 28.
Emergency services arrived about 11.30pm but the pedestrian was declared dead at the scene.
None of the bus passengers were injured.
Van Der Wiel appeared in Brisbane Magistrates Court on Friday.
He was granted bail and the matter was adjourned until August 26.
The incident occurred after the Brisbane City Council commissioned an independent review into bus driver safety following a fatal peak-hour crash.
Tia Cameron, 18, was pinned against a building by a bus in Brisbane's CBD in March and died at the scene.
Bus driver Lindsay Francis Selby, 70, was charged with careless driving causing death.
The council-commissioned review recommended bus drivers older than 60 should have more frequent health assessments to ensure public safety but did not specify the regularity.
Bus drivers older than 60 currently undergo an authorisation test every five years which includes criminal history, medical and traffic history checks.
Once they turn 75, medical assessments are held annually.
Australian Associated Press
