The bus driver who crashed in the Brisbane CBD, killing teenage pedestrian Tia Cameron, has launched a fight in court to have his conviction overturned.
Lindsay Francis Selby sat just metres from family and friends of Cameron on Friday, as barristers debated last year’s finding that her death was caused by him driving without due care and attention.
The 18-year-old died when she was pinned by the bus to the wall of Anzac Square Arcade along Edward Street, as it swerved to avoid a slowing SUV on March 8, 2024.
Supporters of the teenager were emotional as footage of the crash was replayed again in court. A family member later shouted out to the judge and was asked to be quiet.
Much of the debate between defence barrister Saul Holt and prosecutor Susan Hedge centred on how long Selby had to brake, when he should have begun braking and how he could have thought he was braking without the brakes being engaged.
“The tragedy of this case is … so many of us might make equivalent misjudgments from time to time without the appalling consequences of this,” Judge Bernand Porter KC told the court.
He did not set a date for when his verdict would be handed down, but said finalising the case would become his priority.
Selby was found guilty of driving without due care and attention causing death in October last year.
He was sentenced to eight months imprisonment, wholly suspended for 12 months. He was also disqualified from driving for 12 months. The conviction was recorded.
Cameron’s mother Jade Te Awhitu told the court at the time her family were heartbroken to lose their daughter.
“My world is darker and smaller, and I feel so much lonelier without her,” she said.
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