Bus and Cyclist Collision at a Signalized Intersection
At 17:20 a city bus with 14 passengers is turning left at a signalized intersection. A cyclist riding on the sidewalk enters the crosswalk against the pedestrian signal and is struck by the bus's front-right corner at about 15 km/h. The cyclist is on the ground, conscious, with a bleeding scalp wound and pain in the left wrist. A standing passenger fell and is holding her neck; another passenger is shouting. The bus is stopped across the crosswalk, blocking traffic, and the driver's mobile phone is in the dashboard holder. The weather is dry, the driver has 7 years of experience, and the operations manager's number is on the sun visor. The bus is not on fire and no fuel is leaking. The driver's hands are shaking.
1. List the immediate actions in the first 3 minutes, in order, and explain why.
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First, stop and secure the bus: parking brake on, hazard lights on, engine off, and keep passengers from stepping into traffic. Second, check scene safety and call 119 for the injured cyclist and the passenger with neck pain, then call 110 to report the injury accident. Third, give first aid within his training: gloves if available, direct pressure on the scalp bleeding, and do not move the cyclist unless there is immediate danger such as fire or traffic. The fallen passenger should be kept still and reassured until ambulance staff arrive. Fourth, keep other passengers back, ask one reliable passenger to watch the cyclist, and note the positions of the bus and bicycle before anything is moved. The driver should not move the bus to clear the crosswalk unless police direct it or a secondary collision is imminent. His shaking hands are a reason to speak slowly and delegate, not to delay the emergency calls.
2. What information should the driver report to the police, ambulance, and operations manager, and what should he avoid saying?
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To the ambulance he should give the exact location, the number of injured people, the cyclist's conscious state and bleeding, the passenger's neck pain, and any hazards at the scene. To the police he should give his name, company, route, vehicle number, direction of travel, and a factual account of what happened without guessing speeds or fault. To the operations manager he should report the injuries, the emergency calls, whether the bus is movable, the passenger count, and what assistance is needed. He should avoid admitting liability, arguing with the cyclist or bystanders, speculating about who had the right of way, or discussing insurance. He should not post about the incident on social media or share photographs outside the company. Factual notes made early are useful; opinions are not.
3. Should the driver move the bus out of the crosswalk before police arrive?
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Generally no. The bus is part of the incident scene, and moving it can destroy evidence of the impact position, the cyclist's path, and the driver's view. The injured cyclist is on the ground and the passenger has neck pain; the priority is care and scene safety, not traffic flow. The driver may move the bus only if it is creating an immediate danger, such as blocking an emergency vehicle or sitting in a live traffic lane with a risk of being hit, and even then he should first record the position with photographs and note the time. If police or ambulance staff direct him to move, he should follow that direction and say so in his report. Until then, hazard lights and passenger control are the correct actions.