Auckland child and grandma seriously hurt after being jammed in bus doors at Flat Bush

A bus driver has been stood down and an investigation launched after a grandmother and young child were seriously injured when they became jammed in the vehicle’s closing doors.

“We don’t want what happened to our family members to happen to anybody else,” the distraught mother of the child told the Herald.

The 66-year-old grandmother accompanied by her 5-year-old granddaughter got on the number 35 bus to travel home from school last Friday afternoon in Flat Bush.

When their bus approached the Chapel Rd stop, the pair pressed the red button and proceeded to tag off.

“But while they were stepping off they were neglected by the driver who had shut the door on both of them, jamming them in between,” the child’s mother told the Herald.

“He drove the bus for a distance of several metres before being yelled at by other passengers to stop the bus.”

A five-year-old girl and her grandmother are nursing injuries sustained after getting jammed by bus doors while they hopped off. Photo / Michael Craig

All the while her daughter was trapped between the shut doors, the mother said.

“Once he stopped my daughter completely fell down from the bus on the ground when the door opened.

“The bus wheel was just a step away from my daughter”, she said.

The grandmother’s hand had been trapped in the doors, and she was pushed on to the ground as the bus kept moving, the mother said.

“She watched in panic as my daughter was half in the air and half in the bus. It was so scary.”

The injuries on 66-year-old woman's hand after getting jammed by bus doors while exiting. Photo / Supplied

The mother rushed to her relatives’ aid as soon as she received the distressing call.

“When I got there it was terrifying. The incident caused multiple injuries to my daughter and my mother-in-law.

“My daughter told me that she was so scared because she thought she would not see daddy or mommy again and cried at night when she tried to sleep.

“She asked me, ‘Mummy am I still alive?’”

The mother said her daughter was traumatised and “doesn’t want to go on the bus anymore”.

“None of this should happen to anyone.”

The mother said the incident left her deeply concerned about safety on public buses.

“I want to ask how this happened to a child and an elderly person.

“It is very concerning. There is a camera on the bus, and they [bus drivers] have a mirror. He could have seen a body being jammed by the door. How come he just shut the door? What is the rush?”

The five-year-old girl was jammed between the bus doors for several metres. Photo / Supplied

The mother has filed a complaint with Auckland Transport and police.

An AT spokesperson told the Herald the incident was reported to the agency last Friday evening and was passed to the operator of the bus, Howick and Eastern, to investigate.

“Our thoughts are with the two customers after this horrible incident and we hope they are doing okay.

“The operator reviewed the CCTV footage and confirmed the incident happened. The driver was stood down immediately, pending further investigation.

“The driver will be subject to a formal process through their employer (Howick and Eastern).”

A police spokesperson confirmed they had received and were currently investigating a report of an incident in Flat Bush on March 31.

The incident, on Flat Bush School Rd, occurred about 3.30pm, they said.

“We have been actively following lines of enquiry to determine the circumstances of what has occurred and are in the process of speaking to those involved.

“Police will continue to update the victim directly on the progress of the investigation as it advances.”