A city bus driver involved in a tragic accident that resulted in the death of a young woman has been informed that he will carry the burden of the incident for life, despite being allowed to leave court without serving jail time.
Lindsay Francis Selby, aged 70, received a suspended sentence after a court found him guilty of careless driving in connection with a rush-hour collision that took the life of 18-year-old Tia Angel Cameron.
The accident occurred on March 8, 2024, when Cameron was struck by the bus driven by Selby and was pinned against a building in Brisbane’s bustling central business district shortly after 5 p.m.
Following the court’s decision, Cameron’s father, Alastair Cameron, appeared relieved, raising his hands outside the Brisbane Magistrates Court after Selby was convicted of driving without due care and attention, leading to death.
Family members were visibly emotional as Magistrate Aaron Simpson delivered the verdict and detailed the profound impact the tragedy has had.
Selby remained expressionless, gazing forward as the guilty verdict was announced, with the realization setting in that his career as a bus driver had likely come to an end.
“Whatever I do to you, you will be marked and scarred by that day. For the family of Tia Angel, the mark on them will never go away,” Simpson said.
“Whatever I do in sentencing, it won’t change that outcome.”
Cameron’s mother Jade Te Awhitu said her “world is now darker and smaller and so much lonelier”.
“Losing Tia is more than losing a daughter – it’s losing her future she will never get to experience” Te Awhitu said as she read her victim impact statement.
“She’ll never have children. I’ll never be the grandmother that I yearn to be.”
Alastair Cameron said he had lost so much and felt he “needed to start his life all over again”.
Simpson told Selby he had caused a “tragic accident” by failing to pay attention and observe traffic ahead of him as he turned a downhill corner.
“That poor decision caused you to collide with the building and Tia Angel Cameron,” Simpson said.
In the verdict’s reasons, Simpson said he rejected Selby’s varying accounts of trying to brake but being unable to press the pedal as he rounded a downhill corner.
“You didn’t know what happened and you came up with the best answer you could find in that traumatic experience,” he said.
Both the prosecution and defence agreed Selby turned on a busy street and failed to apply the brakes.
Selby swerved to the left before mounting a footpath at 23km/h and striking multiple pedestrians.
Simpson was shown CCTV footage of Selby turning the bus away from Brisbane’s Central train station at an intersection before swerving onto the footpath.
Selby told police after the crash he had thought he was “going to slam into four lanes of traffic”.
“I moved the wheel across to the left and steered into the building. Unfortunately there was somebody in the way that I didn’t see,” Selby said.
There was no jury and Simpson determined the verdict following a one-day trial in September.
The maximum sentence for careless driving causing death is 12 months imprisonment or a $13,300 fine.
Selby’s offending was aggravated by being a professional driver in a heavy vehicle with the responsibility to look out for more vulnerable road users, crown prosecutor Susan Hedge said.
Defence barrister Saul Holt called for a suspended sentence and said his client had written a letter to the court about his remorse.
“Mr Selby will always be deeply affected by what happened,” Holt said.
Simpson said Selby’s offending was serious but his multiple health issues would also make custody or community service more difficult.
Selby was sentenced to eight months’ imprisonment, to be wholly suspended on the condition he not reoffend in the next 12 months.
He was also disqualified from driving for 12 months instead of the mandatory minimum period of six months.
