Bus driver’s trial begins over crash that killed two Waterford teenagers on e-scooter

A bus driver charged with dangerous driving causing the deaths of two teenagers in Waterford city has pleaded not guilty.

The collision occurred on the Cork Road in Waterford city at about 2am on June 27th, 2024.

Gilbert Collins (15) and Avuzwa Idris (17) were both riding on a single e-scooter that morning, when a bus driven by Adrian Doyle (43), of Abbey Road, Ferrybank, Co Waterford, collided with them.

The trial commenced on Tuesday afternoon with Garda members who attended the scene on the morning of the collision presenting evidence to the jury.

Doyle was driving a JJ Kavanagh & Sons bus on the Cork Road towards Waterford city centre and was the sole occupant of the bus at the time of the collision.

He was on his way to his first pickup of the night at South East Technological University.

A single e-scooter, driven by Idris, with Collins a passenger, was travelling in the same direction and on the same side of the road as the bus.

The boys were travelling from Snap Fitness, a gym located close to the scene where they had been earlier that morning.

Just over a second before the collision, both the bus and the e-scooter veered right, towards the middle line of the road. Upon impact, the bus was travelling 77km/h in a 50km/h zone.

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Doyle said he did not see the e-scooter before the collision and did not have any time to react.

Gardaí who were called to the scene observed considerable damage to the windscreen of the bus. The undercarriage was also damaged, consistent with the vehicle driving over the e-scooter after the impact.

The scooter was found 41 metres from the area of impact.

Collins was found deceased on the road. Idris was found face down on a grass verge near a footpath. He was transferred by ambulance to University Hospital Waterford but did not survive his injuries.

Gardaí said Doyle was found on the roadside in a highly distressed state and was very animated.

A drugs and alcohol test was administered at the scene, with negative results.

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Garda Maurice Mahon, a forensic collision investigator, said weather conditions were dry that morning and the road was in very good condition but that street lighting was poor. He indicated that the e-scooter had no rear lights and both boys were dressed in dark clothing.

There was no evidence of the bus braking before the collision. Doyle told gardaí he pressed the brake, but it didn’t work. He said he pressed it again after the collision had already occurred.

During the investigation, gardaí analysed CCTV footage along the route, as well as dashcam footage from inside the bus, which shows the moment of the collision.

The trial continues.