Footage emerges of car ploughing through council bus

Extraordinary footage has emerged of the moment a car became airborne and ploughed through the side of a bus in Brisbane, with the lord mayor praising the quick thinking of the bus’s driver.

Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner and Public Transport Chair Andrew Wines will inspect the damaged bus on Tuesday at the Sherwood Bus Depot and are expected to speak about the driver’s actions.

“The bus driver … he did absolutely the right thing,” Schrinner told ABC Radio.

“[He] went straight into action and assisted the driver of the car.

“He’s also a driver that has a really good record with council as well. He’s served for at least seven years and had lots of commendations from the public.”

About 6.30pm on Wednesday, a SsangYong being driven by a 66-year-old man attempted to merge from a centre lane and turn off near the intersection of Beaudesert Road and Granard Road in Rocklea.

A Toyota Yaris being driven by a 45-year-old woman travelling in the outer lane was forced to swerve around the SsangYong, causing the driver to lose control of the vehicle, which became airborne and crashed into the bus.

The bus was not in service at the time of the crash and there were no patrons on board.

But the driver, also a 66-year-old man, was returning the bus to the depot with his wife on board.

In the footage released by Brisbane City Council on Tuesday, she can be heard reacting to the crash and telling her husband: “OK, I’m going to be in trouble because I’m on the bus, won’t I?”

The driver checks on his wife and tells her to exit the bus, before turning his attention to the driver of the Yaris.

He appears to call paramedics before helping the woman, who is in shock, out of the vehicle.

“I want to thank the driver for their effort, staying calm and assisting in that situation,” Schrinner said.

Police and paramedics arrived at the scene a short time later. The woman was taken to hospital and treated for shock.

Following investigations, police issued the SsangYong driver with a traffic infringement notice for driving without due care and attention.

It carries a $690 fine and loss of three demerit points.

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