Waterford bus e-scooter crash trial, Digi Mart USA News (Waterford, Ireland): A bus driver’s trial over a crash that killed two teenage boys in Waterford has reached closing arguments. Gilbert Collins, aged 15, and Avuzwa Sampo, aged 17, were returning from an early morning gym session when the e-scooter they were riding was hit by a bus on the Cork Road at about 2am on June 27, 2024.
Bus driver Adrian Doyle, aged 43, has pleaded not guilty to dangerous driving causing their deaths. In his closing speech to the jury on Thursday, prosecuting barrister Niall Storan described the case as “a tragic case with devastating consequences” and said the jury must set aside sympathy and weigh the evidence coldly.
Storan said Doyle was driving at 77 km/h in a 50 km/h zone when he hit the teenagers and that it took him 15 seconds to stop. He said the bus was proven to be in good working order and that the prosecution did not suggest Doyle was drunk or tired.
He added that although the scooter was unlit, this did not excuse a driver who should have been more careful, and that a witness had seen the scooter earlier that night and passed it safely.
Defence barrister Kate Egan described the case as “an appalling tragedy” and asked the jury not to make it more tragic by convicting Doyle, who she said had already suffered enough. She argued the accident was unavoidable and that the scooter turned in front of the bus.
She said Doyle sees the CCTV footage of the impact every time he closes his eyes.
In a voluntary interview with gardaí after the crash, Doyle said he had arrived early, that driving conditions were good and there was no traffic, and that he was focused on his route to Dublin Airport when there was a sudden impact. He said he was shocked to learn he had been driving at 77 km/h and that he stopped the bus and called 999 when he saw the boys on the road.
He maintained that the teenagers were in the wrong and that he had no chance to avoid them. Although he accepted that a slower speed would have given him more time to react, he said the outcome would still have been the same.
Judge Eugene O’Kelly is due to charge the jury of nine men and three women on Friday, after which they will begin their deliberations.
