Testing firm fined €25k for passing bus in fatal crash

THE family of a teenage boy who died in a crash in a faulty school bus have spoken of their continuing devastation as the testing firm which passed the vehicle was fined €25,000.

Schoolboy Michael White, 15, died when the back axle came off the bus, causing the vehicle to flip over on a bog road in 2006.

Yesterday, O’Reilly Commercials Ltd was found guilty of breaching Section 7 of the Safety, Health and Welfare Act of 1989 which states the company failed to ensure that people were not exposed to risk.

Earlier this month, the owner of the defective bus walked free from court. Raymond McKeown, 61, was given a one-year suspended jail term after admitting failing to maintain the vehicle in a condition that was safe and without risk to health and welfare.

In a statement after the hearing, the White family said: ‘We as a family are devastated by the loss of our son and brother Michael. This won’t change anything for us or bring Michael back, but we feel it is important both for us as Michael’s family and for the other children who were on the bus that some of those responsible were held accountable.

‘This crash was clearly preventable. We know that nobody wanted this to happen but to express regret at this stage is a bit late, particularly when the concerns of the students travelling each day on this bus were not heeded.’

The bus passed an official roadworthiness test eight months before the fatal accident. However, the testing firm had fail to note the modified rear suspension on the bus prior to the crash.

This modification had earlier been the subject of a recall. It was agreed by the prosecution that this offence was not the cause of the crash and the firm could not be blamed for the fatality.

The bus lost control on a bog road just outside Clara, Co. Offaly, on April 4, 2006, after the rear drive axle came off. A number of the children travelling to school were injured and Michael died as a result of ‘catastrophic injuries’.

The fine was imposed on the firm yesterday at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court but a stay was put on the payment by Judge Margaret Heneghan pending an appeal by O’Reilly Commercials Ltd.