The bus victim is taken to a waiting ambulance. Photo / Steven McNicholl
The bus victim is taken to a waiting ambulance. Photo / Steven McNicholl
KEY POINTS:
A man was taken to hospital with head injuries yesterday after being hit by a bus - the second accident of its type in downtown Auckland within a week.
The accident happened just after 5pm during rush hour.
The man was crossing the road near the corner ofQueen St and Durham St West when he was hit.
Last Friday, 18-year-old Leonida Gashi died when she was dragged 400m after being hit by a bus owned by the same company involved in yesterday's accident.
Muffin Break owner Hina Kikla said the middle-aged man was crossing Queen St and misjudged the speed of the green Link bus, which was travelling down Queen St towards Britomart.
It hit him, and the front windscreen was smashed, she said.
"It was not the bus driver's fault at all. He looked pretty shaken up, people had to help him from the bus. Police were talking to him here and we got him a glass of water, he was shaking.
"I think the bus was trying to stop but it was very hard for him to brake."
Senior Sergeant Ben Offner said the man was taken to Auckland City Hospital.
He said early investigations indicated the accident was not caused by driver error.
A spokeswoman for NZ Bus said last night that the bus driver had been stood down from duty until he felt ready to drive again.
