A health and safety inspector investigating a fatal school bus crash in Co Offaly has told a court he did not question two garages that had previously examined the bus.
The bus crashed outside Clara on April 4th, 2006, when the back axle came away and the bus flipped over. Michael White (15) died as a result of “catastrophic injuries” suffered in the crash.
David O’Reilly, on behalf of O’Reilly Commercials, Ballinalack, Mullingar, Co Westmeath, has pleaded not guilty to four charges relating to failing to verify defects when they tested the bus between August 5th and 6th, 2005. The defects include a missing bolt and a fracture in the chassis.
The jury at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard the bus was given a roadworthiness certificate by the Westmeath firm before being sold in September 2005 to Raymond and Ruairí McKeown of Clara Cabs. Raymond McKeown told gardaí it was only used once before Christmas because the engine overheated. He brought the bus to a garage and in January 2006 he took it to another garage for a second opinion.
Diarmaid McGuinness SC, for the defence, asked the inspector, John Sheehan, if he had gone to the garages to ask about the condition of the bus.