Auckland Transport to compensate 71yo passenger who broke back in public bus

An older woman broke her back after an Auckland bus driver took off too quickly. Photo / Alex Burton

An older woman who suffered an “excruciating” break in her lower back when a bus took off before she could sit down will now be compensated by Auckland Transport for medical costs.

The 71-year-old passenger was catching a bus home to Epsom from outside Newmarket Westfield after finishing her shopping in mid-December when the driver “suddenly took off”.

“I was trying to take the seat nearest to me, which was one of the ones where you have to flip the seat down … but I hadn’t managed to sit down yet and the driver accelerated so I fell forward onto the ground," she told the Herald.

“There was immediate excruciating pain in my hip area.”

She said the driver stopped the bus and checked on her but offered no apology, while another passenger helped her with slow breathing exercises.

She stayed on the bus for 10 minutes before getting off a stop earlier than intended to see if her local physiotherapist could help.

She was referred to OneHealth accident and medical, where she was prescribed painkillers.

“I was still in a lot of pain and didn’t sleep much that night so I called my GP the next day … I went and saw her and she told me to get an X-ray.”

The X-ray showed a compression fracture in her lower back, with full recovery expected to take 8-12 weeks.

The woman contacted Auckland Transport (AT) a few days later to let them know what happened and request compensation for medical fees, which she said have amounted to over $200.

An AT spokesperson told her “ACC will cover most of the medical bills” and that the Howick and Eastern operators should be responsible for the reimbursement.

“Howick and Eastern [the branch] have got back to me and said the CCTV cameras were down that day and that they need footage as evidence to claim insurance,” the woman said.

“I’m a customer of AT … their insurance claim and footage have nothing to do with me and I am not responsible for those things. I blame Auckland Transport not the Howick line."

An Auckland Transport spokesperson has since responded to the Herald’s request for comment and said: “The safety of customers is paramount and AT, along with our operator, apologise to the customer for the injuries incurred while on board one of our buses.

“Our operator has investigated this incident thoroughly and has agreed to a goodwill payment to the customer.”

The passenger has been taking ACC-provided taxis to get to work.

She said while she planned to return to using the bus once recovered, she had a message of caution for bus drivers.

“Be careful especially of older people using the buses … maybe wait until we are sat down before moving.”