“I saw the bus mounted a footpath. That street is meant to be pedestrianised.”
The chaos unfolded shortly after 12.30pm.
While much of the country was under severe weather warnings, a double decker bus drove down North Earl Street, crashing into a number of pedestrians.
Gardaí and emergency services attended the scene of the fatal road traffic incident shortly after 12:35pm on Thursday.
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A man in his 80s, a pedestrian, was pronounced dead at the scene. The Coroner has been notified.
A second pedestrian, a man in his 20s, is being treated in hospital for serious, but non-life-threatening injuries.
The driver of the bus, a woman in her 50s, and a third pedestrian, a woman in her 30s, are being treated in hospital for non-life-threatening injuries.
Emergency services were very quickly at the scene and bystanders rushed to help as best they could with those who were injured.
A local business owner told The Irish Times that he heard a noise and saw the aftermath of when the bus drove up the busy pedestrian street in Dublin 1.
“People ran down to help and then loads more were coming out to see what happened. I’m already getting sent on videos of it. I don’t want even to see them, it’s horrendous. For everyone involved,” he said.
A security guard said he ran out of the premises he was working in when he heard the noises outside. A number of people were helping the injured and the security guard “ran to comfort the driver”. The scene was “awful” and he could not comment further, he said.
A number of witnesses told The Irish Times they saw one person trapped under the bus.
“I heard a loud noise,” said a witness to the incident who declined to give his name. “I thought a fence fell or something fell off a roof ... I could see a woman who was obviously not okay.”
The man said people rushed to help, and within minutes, numerous Garda cars were on the scene, blocking off the streets and awaiting ambulance and Dublin Fire Brigade, who arrived shortly after.
The bus displayed the route number 103 on its screen. After driving down Talbot Street, the 103 route normally takes a left turn on Marlborough Street, as it makes its way to its first stop at Beresford Place. However, instead, the driver went straight down North Earl Street.
Bus Éireann said the bus was not in service at the time of the incident. It offered full support to the relevant authorities and said it will provide any additional assistance required.
Traffic heading west on Talbot Street must turn left on to Marlborough Street and head south towards the Liffey. However, unlike at the O’Connell Street end, there are no bollards or barriers blocking vehicles from entering North Earl Street from Talbot Street or Marlborough Street, with the pedestrianisation enforced by traffic lights and signage.
Serious incidents involving vehicles entering North Earl Street, outside of early morning delivery hours, are rare.
Gardaí closed off Talbot Street and Marlborough Street as a large number of people gathered in the rain at the scene.
The 103 bus remained on the footpath as a number of firefighters and ambulance personnel worked to move the bus.
More than 20 firefighters, paramedics and advanced paramedics responded on four engines, two emergency tenders with heavy rescue tools and an advanced paramedic response car, according to Dublin Fire Brigade.
Some of the businesses on North Earl Street closed due to the incident and the Luas Green Line service between Parnell and St Stephen’s Green was suspended for a time.
Restrictions are in place around the scene, which has been preserved for examination by Garda forensic collision investigators. Local traffic and pedestrian diversions are in place.
A senior investigating officer has been appointed to lead the investigation from an incident room at Store Street Garda station.
A family liaison officer has been appointed to the family of the deceased.
Gardaí have requested that anyone with photographs or video of the incident refrain from sharing them, but make them available to the Garda investigation team.
As tributes pour in from all corners for the victims and those involved, the team will now try to piece together what exactly happened on the rainy Thursday.
