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A woman cycling to work was knocked off her bike by an Auckland Transport bus, which proceeded to leave the scene before police arrived despite her serious injuries.
The cyclist, who the Herald has agreed to refer to as her legal name Mary, is now furious after an initial police investigation provided “not enough detail” to lay any charges in relation to the incident.
Mary was cycling to work in Auckland’s CBD on the morning of February 21 and was approaching the intersection of Symonds St and Karangahape Rd, when she was side-swiped by a bus.
“I was in the far left of the left lane, biking away happy as Larry and next thing the bus absolutely side swiped me and blew me off the road and off my bike.
Mary recalled seeing the distinct navy blue colour of the bus and wondering why it was getting so close before it slammed into the side of her.
“I don’t remember much after that,” she said.
The cyclist suffered a concussion, broken bones, significant bruising and serious road rash in the incident. Photo / Supplied
In the collision on Symonds St, Mary suffered a serious concussion, broken collar bone and shoulder blade as well as cuts, bruises and road rash. She later required surgery as a result of her injuries.
But the bus driver allegedly didn’t stick around for long, letting off all of the buses passengers and waiting for an ambulance to arrive before proceeding to make a swift departure ahead of police arrival.
A police spokesperson confirmed they were aware of the crash, where “one person has since received medical treatment for their injuries”.
Police told the Herald they did not have enough evidence during initial inquiries to pursue charges in relation to the incident and it was temporarily filed.
Mary said her sister, who resides in Ireland, did more investigative work over 18,000km away than police did in the days following the incident.
If it wasn't for her helmet, which was damaged in the incident, Mary says she may have died. Photo / Supplied
“The lack of care, investigation, common courtesy, peppered with victim blaming that I’ve experienced is really quite frightening.
She claimed that police did not conduct any interviews with witnesses, nor were they able to perform any licence check or breath test on the bus driver.
“Saying you don’t have enough evidence and not actually investigating are two completely different things.
“What level of injuries are required before police conduct the most basic investigation. Did I have to die?”
Traffic camera footage was allegedly pulled at the request of Mary, but provided no assistance due to its poor quality.
Following Herald inquiries and feedback from the victim, who provided further information, police have since reopened the matter “for further review”.
“Police will continue to liaise with the victim and their family directly in regards to this incident.”
Mary required surgery on her collar bone as a result of the incident. Photo / Supplied
Auckland Transport (AT) service operations manager Duncan McGrory also confirmed they were aware of the incident.
“As police are still investigating, we cannot comment on specifics of the incident.”
McGrory added it was understood the operator had since contacted police to assist with the investigation and AT would continue to support the bus operator.
Mary had filed three different complaints with AT as well as made a phone call, but she was told they had no record of any complaints.
“It’s crazy, I could be dead as far as they know. It’s really concerning,” she said.
A passenger on the bus told the Herald traffic was only light approaching the Symonds St Cemetery and the cyclist was right over to the side of the road, a spot where there is no dedicated cycle lane.
Just before the bridge, “suddenly the bus braked so hard that we all flew off our seats”, she said.
“Then there was a general, ‘Oh my god we’ve hit a cyclist’.”
Half the bus passengers got off to attend to the woman and someone called an ambulance. The driver was on the phone to headquarters, she said.
The woman, who was wearing a helmet, lay on the ground for a minute before managing to walk off the road on to the footpath with the help of two people.
“Lots of people had sore knees because of the sudden braking and many got onto the next bus that came along,” the passenger said.
Benjamin Plummer is an Auckland-based reporter who covers breaking news. He has worked for the Herald since 2022.
