14 April 2024 , 13:29
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A cruise ship shuttle bus driver left his vehicle unattended and on being alerted it was moving forward jumped in only to hit the gas instead of the brakes with tragic results for passengers and pedestrians alike
One woman died after a shuttle bus driver for the Carnival Miracle cruise accidentally hit the accelerator instead of the brakes, crashing his vehicle into a concrete terminal.
A further ten Hawaii holidaymakers were injured, including the 68-year-old woman’s husband who was injured but is expected to fully recover, according to Matt Lupoli, senior manager of Carnival Cruise Line.
The shuttle bus slammed into the Honolulu cruise terminal in Hawaii after the driver was told by a bystander his vehicle was moving forward on Friday morning. The driver jumped back into the vehicle accidentally hitting the gs instead of the breaks, resulting in the bus crashing into a cruise terminal.
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The 68-year-old woman died of injuries after the 57-year-old shuttle bus driver dropped off a group of customers at Honolulu’s Pier 2 terminal.
The bus slammed into two concrete barriers and eleven pedestrians, authorities said. The woman remains unidentified but it is known that she was traveling with her husband at the time as part of the Carnival Miracle cruise in Hawaii.
The Honolulu bus was transporting Carnival Miracle cruise ship passengers ( Image: HNN)
He smashed the bus into two concrete barriers before hitting eleven pedestrians, Honolulu police said in a statement. Nine of the people hit by the vehicle were cruise ship passengers.
Four others, two men and two women, all over the age of 50, were seriously injured by the incident according to Hawaii News Now.
Linda Reck, who was visiting from Florida, told NBC News: “It just kept going, and my daughter yells out ’There’s nobody there driving the bus.’ Then it hits the wall. I was...shook up, pretty shaken.”
The 68-year-old woman succumbed to her injuries ( Image: HNN)
Another visitor, who said she works in an emergency room, said: “It definitely puts a damper on my vacation. I deal with this everyday... but this is just different.”
The Carnival Miracle cruise had just kicked off its 15-day excursion, starting in Los Angeles, California, on April 6, scheduled to round off the excursion on April 21, according to records on Cruise Mapper. A further five pedestrians were then taken from the Honolulu location to hospital for treatment following the crash.
Another six pedestrians affected by the crash were offered treatment at the scene but reportedly refused any medical assistance, according to Honolulu police. It is not currently known why the incident took place or why the driver was not inside the vehicle at the time it started moving forward.
The shuttle bus driver, a 57-year-old male, had just dropped off a group of customers at Honolulu’s Pier 2 terminal ( Image: HNN)
Police added that the crash did not occur because of speeding issues. However, it is currently unknown if substances were a contributing factor to the incident.
The cruise manager Lupoli added: “Members of the Carnival Care Team are assisting the guests. Our thoughts are with the guests affected and their loved ones.”