A man has suffered multiple broken bones and permanent injury after a hit-and-run by a bus – an ordeal made more “hurtful” by Auckland Transport’s “insulting” $20 Hop card compensation.
Grayson Goffe, 34, was riding an e-scooter down Karangahape Rd on March 20 when he was cut off by a bus, causing him to “flip” and fall.
He landed under the bus, which then ran over his arm before driving away.
“I’m riding on the road, turning right into my house on Upper Queen St and the bus cuts over my lane, doesn’t leave me enough room between me and another sort of island in the middle of the road,” Goffe told the Herald.
“I flip and I come under the bus. I see the tyre and I pull my head back but my arm gets run over. And the bus doesn’t stop and he carries on.”
Goffe said he was hospitalised for two weeks, suffered damage to his wrist and fractured four fingers on his dominant right hand, which required surgery and forced him off work for 10 weeks.
“As a result, I’m left with a permanent injury,” he said. “I won’t be able to use my middle finger for [the rest of] my life.”
Goffe, a kaupapa Māori social activator and activist, said his injuries had impacted everyday activities and meant a loss of income.
He is facing the prospect of having to give up things he loves such as art, tennis and playing the trumpet, leaving him “upset” and “angry”.
“I’m 10 weeks out of work, I can’t hold my nephew, I can’t be there for my sisters, I can’t change myself.”
Goffe went to Auckland Transport (AT) for help with his predicament and was “stunned by the lack of support and accountability by a Crown agency”.
He said all he received was an email apology and a “goodwill gesture” of a $20 Hop card, which he labelled “insulting” and “pathetic”.
“I was asking them just to help me out because 10 weeks is a long time to not have work and I use emails a lot. So I was asking out of need and that’s why it was more hurtful.
“I was like, what’s wrong with these people? Where are the values of caring for each other, even when you did do something wrong? It’s just kind of corporate-y.
“I do think it’s a p*** poor attitude from AT.”
Goffe, a regular user and advocate of public transport, said his experience with bus drivers has been worrying as some have the attitude “they’re the king of the roads”.
“I’m not a small person. If you can’t hear a thud or if you’re unaware that you hit something or you can’t notice a scooter driver, you shouldn’t be driving.”
Goffe said he has filed a police report but has yet to hear back about the case.
Police confirmed to the Herald that a report was filed on March 24, with the incident reported to have occurred four days prior around 12.40pm.
“Unfortunately, the delay in reporting to police has meant CCTV footage was not able to be obtained,” Auckland City case management co-ordinator, Senior Sergeant Alec Hutchison, said.
“Police are waiting for further information and are continuing to investigate the matter.
“Anyone with information is asked to update police online or call 105 using the reference number 260324/3715.”
AT group manager public transport operations Rachel Cara said it has been assisting police.
“Auckland Transport is aware of a reported collision between a bus and a scooter on Queen St on March 20,” Cara said in a statement to the Herald.
“This incident has been the subject of police investigations, which means we are not able to comment on specific details, however, we can confirm we have been assisting police.”
Cara said the $20 Hop card was a “genuine attempt” to provide something useful.
“Our customer team engaged with the person involved after they raised this incident with us, and provided them with a Hop card loaded with a small credit.
“This was a genuine attempt from our team to provide something useful for the customer, and was certainly not intended to downplay or minimise the incident,” she said.
“Our team had previously apologised to the person over the incident, stressed that the bus driver’s reported behaviour did not align with AT’s values and wished them a speedy recovery.
“New Zealand’s accident compensation scheme provides broad cover for New Zealanders when they are injured in accidents or workplace incidents, including crashes and road safety incidents.
“Because of this scheme, compensation for accidents and injuries is managed centrally through ACC rather than people making claims against individual organisations like AT.”