KEY POINTS:
An Auckland bus driver sought by police after a pedestrian was killed in a hit-and-run incident this morning wasn't aware he hit anybody, a union spokesman says.
Police said Rongfa Jiang, a 53-year-old Chinese national who has been living with family in suburban Mt Eden in recent months, was badly injured after being struck by a citybound bus on Dominion Rd, Balmoral today.
Mr Jiang had been standing on or near the pavement on the city-bound side of Dominion Road, about 20 metres south of St Albans Avenue when he was hit.
He died in hospital shortly afterwards.
Senior Constable Bryan Hensley, of the Auckland serious crash unit, said the Stagecoach bus driver stopped at a bus stop a little way after the crash, looked back towards the man the bus allegedly hit and then got back on the bus and resumed his journey.
Mr Hensley said the driver was located by police afterwards and spoken to, but as he was seeking legal advice police have yet to formally interview him.
Police were making no comment about their discussions with the driver, but Auckland Tramways Union president Gary Froggatt said the driver didn't know exactly what happened.
"He said he's totally unaware that he had been involved in an accident," Mr Froggatt told Radio New Zealand.
"... the police have impounded the bus and the initial inquiry has shown that there is no damage to the front of the bus, so we're unclear as to where on the bus the actual impact occurred."
Mr Froggatt said the driver, who was upset and on stress leave, gave a different account of why he got out of the bus.
"In his statements he said he heard a noise like a stick had got caught in the front wheel of the bus so he stopped the bus immediately and investigated the noise," Mr Froggatt said.
"When he looked back up the road he saw a car had come from the traffic lane across into the bus lane and he couldn't see anything else."
Mr Froggatt said other witnesses he had contacted suggested another vehicle might have struck Mr Jiang.
"We have witnesses that have indicated that there was a brown car with a smashed headlight at the scene, and we've got another witness that says there was a bicycle with another person lying on the road with a bleeding nose," he said.
"So I'm not quite sure where we are."
Mr Hensley said police were looking to speak to as many witnesses as possible, including about eight passengers on the bus.
"We'll be at the scene of the crash tomorrow morning from about 7.20 in an effort to locate other pedestrians, motorists or bus passengers who might have seen the crash or events leading up to it."
Anyone with information is asked to ring Mr Hensley on (09) 359 3114.
- NZPA
